Power Rangers: Hexagon
by Darren1138
Summary: [REWRITE OF MY PREVIOUS STORY] The Legendary Battle is over but the war has just begun. Whenever there's an Emperor, there's always an Empress. In an effort to thwart her evil plans, a certain legend will have to form an organization bent on preventing the threat of this new enemy. An organization of all the Power Rangers to counter her.
1. Gathering Storm

**And here we are! The new version of my Hexagon story for the Power Rangers!**

 **In case you don't know what this story is, it's basically a major crossover story that shall pit entire teams of Rangers together with the united goal of beating an ultimate enemy. I originally wrote this story, making it my prime fanfiction one to share to everyone. It was supposed to have been fully planned for at least a hundred chapters, with newer chapters still under development. However, as my skills improve, I believe that the story I wrote before may need some upgrades, so I thought I breathed new life into it, making newer stories and hopefully, smoother flow of story. And with new Power Rangers story content being released, I wanted to at least try and merge them into the story too, bringing in potential for more story-telling.**

 **Just a note to make is that I'll be continuing to use monsters and aliens from unused Sentai, except Go-Busters, since it has been confirmed to be the next Power Rangers season for 2019, I'll be staying away from using villains from that season.**

 **Many of the monsters used in the old version will be the same, but I'll be adapting newer ones from the more recent seasons (assuming that Hasbro won't use those seasons for their next seasons any time soon.)**

 **Before we kick off, I just wanna say thanks to all who have stuck around for the original version of Hexagon. I'm sorry about the lack of progress, because I have been stuck with writer's block since the last update, so I needed to change the way I tell the story. If you're still here, then I hope you enjoy this version even better**

 **Okay, without further ado, let's begin! May the Power protect you all!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Power Rangers. That distinction goes to Hasbro.**

* * *

 **Prologue: Gathering Storm**

Death.

Destruction.

Apocalypse.

That was all that he saw around him. The world was already blanketed by smoke, fire and destruction. All he saw was red, as if the world was already dying at the seams. The once beautiful skies of blue and white clouds were now polluted with clouds of black and a screen of orange behind them. The roads around him, cracked and obliterated, buildings crippled and ruptured. The whole city of Harwood was in ruins, decimated by a catalytic event that he couldn't stop.

Bodies littered the streets, lying everywhere, with the stench of death he had smelt. Yet, not even a single fly came to swarm over the dead, presumably vanquishing within the blast as well. The blood-stained streets and the body-littered roads filled the city with a horrid, chilling scene of apocalyptic end. Nothing could have stopped the destruction of the city and the deaths of millions in the city. Everything was hopeless, and any fight against the incoming doom was all thwarted by that very evil.

The pain in his body was absolute, surging all over his body as if an entire building had slammed onto him. He was forced to crawl down on the ground, writhing in pain from the disaster that struck the Earth. Blood was already drenched on his clothes, flowing down his skin with agonizing wounds all around. His entire body was numb, though still feeling the massive stings and burns he had sustained from the battle.

Behind the boy was all that was left to defend the world from the forces of evil. The mightiest machine to have ever walked and flown across the cosmos, the last line of defence against the giants of terror. The titan that could have saved the city and the world, now nothing more than a burning, destroyed wreck, blasted beyond repair. The gargantuan robot laid on the ground, deactivated and devastated throughout. Holes have been punched into its metallic structure and its limbs were torn out. What would have been detachable parts were completely torn out of their sockets that were still connected to the Megazord, becoming inoperable and useless.

And the worst casualty of them all, the boy looked all over him, unable to move anymore. There, by his sides, the bodies of his greatest allies. They were all still in their suits, their helmets still donned onto their heads, with cracked visors that revealed their dead faces. The pain that the boy sustained was nothing compared than what he felt when he saw his teammates killed with such gruesome fashion. The friends he had grown to love and treasure throughout his time as a Power Ranger, their leader, were now dead, leaving no one else to fight with. He could feel his heart squeeze with pain upon seeing their bodies, crushed or bashed on by whatever they were fighting against.

Just then, the boy crawled towards an elevated piece of the ground, uprooted by the destructive power of his enemy. Above that ledge of devastated ground, he bared witness to the very source of all of this pain and desolation. A figure he had never thought would ever exist. A being he would have never guessed was the epitome of ultimate evil until it was too late.

The destroyer himself stood above the defeated Ranger, feeling unhinged and yet so proud. Victorious over his win over the defenders of the Earth, he watched on as his towering dinosaur-like robots and battalions of Ranger-like soldiers marched on, taking over everything, destroying anything in sight. The power to destroy an entire city with the strike of his fist, the dark will of his followers and the terror of his mighty machines and soldiers. He had made this planet his dominion.

The war was lost for the Power Rangers; victory was **his** …

The mysterious yet evil warrior jumped down, the boy being able to feel the rumbling underneath his fallen body. The dark figure walked towards him, scraping the tip of his curved sword down on the road. With the flick of the blade, it kicked up tiny pebbles of asphalt that were flung towards the boy's face.

The fallen Red Ranger couldn't even raise his head up to face his would-be murderer. There was no fight left. His body was put out of order and his hope had faded. There was nothing and no one left to save. There was only death…

The enemy pointed his blade at the boy, who could only see the tip of the blade right in front of his eyes. His hearing began to wear out, only being able to hear the words from the enemy, finally declaring the outcome of this hopeless fight. The final words echoed into his ears, finishing the tale to a dying Ranger; the last of his kind…

"You could have been gods…"

* * *

Troy shot back up from his bed in a shock. The moment he woke from his sleep, he felt the anxiety already flourished from the nightmare he had. The apocalyptic scene of devastation was no more; the orange deathly atmosphere replaced by the calm, blue darkness of the night. No more destroyed buildings or dead people, just the warmth of his bedroom.

Most of all, when he was starting to recover from the horror he took, he soon realized that all of what he witnessed was just a dream. That said, he was instantly relieved that he did not have to face the fact that his friends were killed right in front of him.

He checked his mobile phone to be sure, not willing to call them at such a late night, but just reading through the text conversation he had with Noah a few hours prior. So far, everything was good, no warnings or alerts that caused for concern. From his clock, read…

'3:14 a.m.'

"Damn…" sighed Troy, rubbing his face over the shuddering fear he had sustained over his nightmare. He was already spooked before by dreams of battles between good and evil. But of all the dreams he had, this one was the most frightening. Destruction was one thing he had gotten used to after saving the world numerous times. The nightmare, however, had destruction at a scale never before imagined. Death, especially those of his teammates, with such brutality had never crossed his mind. He had fought hard to prevent both of these terrible outcomes, but when he saw it all happen in his dream, he fell extremely at bay.

Worse still, like all the other Ranger dreams, this one felt far too real…

He didn't want to know whether this one was going to come true like the last big dream he had of the Legendary Battle that he and his friends, along with every single Ranger in existence, won against the forces of Emperor Mavro and his Armada. There was just something about the unknown evil that he faced in that dream that terrified him.

The figure that defeated him had the presence of a warrior, pure with evil and hate, and yet, with all of his dark power and ruthless nature, he had a small presence of someone Troy could trust.

What was he? Where did he come from? If the dream was to become real…?

No. Troy shook his head.

No. Never again. The forces of evil were vanquished, for now. Mavro's defeat could have sent a sign to the universe that as long as he and the Power Rangers were there to protect the Earth, no dark forces would ever dare come to invade the planet. Home was as good as safe.

With that, Troy slumped back down on his pillow, hoping that whatever he had envisioned in his head may never come true. Both in his dreams… and reality…

* * *

18th March 2018

New York,

USA,

Earth,

Solar System,

A lone man walked impatiently, shifting sides at each few seconds like he was tossing and turning in bed. Walking in one direction, just along the top of a flight of stairs, before turning around and repeating the same process on and on. He had walked in this perpetual loop of steps for the past ten minutes now, losing his patience over someone very important.

Right at the very bottom of the steps, two lines of men, dressed in black uniforms and wearing tough, bulletproof helmets, stood at attention, paying no attention to the man they were apparently leading them.

The man himself wore the same uniform, but with a significant difference in terms of authority. A black cap worn comfortably on his head and a pair of shades resting just above the flap of the cap. On the cap itself, the initials 'GD' were sewn onto the front with white wool, confirming his place among the top secret security force that was the Silver Guardians.

The group was standing in front of a tall building, just at the very end of New York City, where the crowded business of the city was far off in the distance. It may have looked like any ordinary building, but given the nature of the man and his forces outside, this seemed to be no ordinary structure. At their sides, nineteen flags stood on both flanks, each having their own unique symbol of sorts. All of them, ranging from a golden circle with prehistoric animals bursting out of the centre to a symbol similar to that of the Jolly Roger of 'ye ol' days of pirates, only with a modern metallic look, fluttered along with the flags. At the very centre, one larger flag flew above the rest, hailing the symbol of a mighty lightning bolt, striking down onto the ground.

The man still paced around, unable to shake off his frustration over how much time had passed since his meeting with his expected individual had been long delayed.

Just another day for Eric Meyers… He wondered how the heck his own men seemingly had the patience he couldn't bear to hold, although he really didn't bother to directly inquire to them, not even willing to go down and ask them where in the world was his contact at this moment. He felt that it was best to remain humble, or at least what was left of his humility, in the presence of his long-time squad of elite law enforcers.

Just then, in front of the parking spaces of the building, a black SUV approached the area, driving past the security gate. Eric's inner grumbling had ceased. Finally, his contact had arrived. And just in the nick of time too, so to speak. He was about to blow a fuse over the amount of time he had wasted standing out there without getting to business.

He walked down the steps, right in the middle of the lines of the Silver Guardians, almost as if he was stomping. His teeth were rubbing against each other, almost on the verge of mumbling. Keeping his cool, eventually, the man approached to the sidewalk as the car stopped right in front of the company. Eric stood to await the arrival of the other man in the car, finally ceasing close enough before he would be under a temper tantrum.

The door at the driver's seat opened up, just in front of Eric. Out came another similarly-aged man, wearing the Silver Guardian uniform and shades, but also had a red beret on his head. The man shut the door behind him, leaving it behind for someone to help park it elsewhere. He took off his shades to reveal the face of an old friend to Eric, even if he was still being sour about having to wait for this person.

"About time you showed up." scoffed Eric. Wesley Collins just breathed out a laugh, patting Eric on the shoulder for a show of good gesture.

"Just a little patrol in the streets. Nothing unusual so far." reported Wes with a cheerful smile. Eric shook his head as he turned around, having nothing more to do about his old friend and Ranger comrade. Perhaps ever since he and Wes had taken over as the top leaders of the Guardians, he had gotten used to the differences he had with the other. Oh well, you couldn't really change people these days, could you?

"I'm starting to miss the 'unusual'." sighed Eric, thinking about the more thrilling times where he and his men had actual things to combat, rather than sticking to the usual street patrols or national defence duties. Aside from a few acts of violence and grand theft, nothing could excite the two leaders more than the action of fighting real dangers.

World-threatening ones.

Wes and Eric walked up the steps towards the large building, which was in fact, the structure that once belonged to Wes' father before he finally retired. Giving the two men the reins to one of America's best defence forces, they would ensure that the nation was protected from all kinds of danger, local or extra-terrestrial. They would be the first on the scene when an alien threat emerged, just as they had, ever since Ransik's dire campaign from the future had come to daunt the past. After the Mutant insurgencies, many other threats followed. Orgs, Mut-Orgs, and probably most fearsome of them all, X-Borgs and other monsters that served a mad Emperor and his mighty Armada.

They now wondered after the last battles they had against evil, what then? What could possibly be worse than what they had been through? After all, America had been left devastated by the endless waves of Armada vessels that ravaged the country. It would have been worse if the Guardians hadn't contained the situation, doing all they could to save civilians as best as they could. One thing for sure, was that the Earth would have been lost if it weren't for one force of good that had saved the planet for many years.

The Power Rangers. The team of teenagers who had managed to unite every single Ranger out there, to come here and face the Armada for one final battle, was to thank for the victory against the biggest threat the Rangers had ever faced yet. Once, Wes and Eric were in that position themselves, having the fate of the entire planet on their shoulders. Times have changed since then, and now, they were back into normal security duties.

This time, however, there was something different about meeting at their headquarters on this very day, all because of one person who wanted to see them. They didn't know what to expect. They were only told to come and meet with their person of interest, inside the building to discuss something 'major'.

Major, as in? The two former Red Rangers didn't know for sure. All they could hope for was that this 'major' issue would be a simple battle; one that could be done without much bloodshed or destruction.

"Is he here?" asked Wes.

"Already waiting for us to begin." reminded Eric.

"Good." Wes stretched his arms out and groaned as he relieved his muscles. Early in the morning, going on patrol in the SUV for two hours could really keep you constrained for some time. He felt his body loosen up after that needed stretch to get him started. "It's about time the Silver Guardians become something even more."

"Now, don't go thinking about building a gigantic war machine like your dad did." joked Eric. To Wes, the joke came off as sounding half-hearted, like Eric wasn't even trying to lighten up the mood. He shrugged his shoulders, supposing that this was how his character was. A no-nonsense and all-time-serious man who just wasn't in for the humorous side of things, and whenever he tried, nothing even came off as merely decent. What could you do? He was that type of guy. There was no arguing against him. But then again, Wes realized that, perhaps, was for the best. All the better to constantly make fun of Eric and feel the satisfaction of teasing his good pal.

"Yeah." chuckled Wes. "Though, even with all that money, he just won't tell me where he got the resources to the project."

"But you took over." said Eric. "You should have been given the details. That was part of the deal."

"Thank Ransik for that." reminded Wes. After the Mutant attack on New York almost fourteen years ago, the Silver Guardians base had been severely decimated, ransacked by Cyclobots that most of their technology and blueprints had been destroyed. Perhaps, if the layouts had survived, then they wouldn't be needing giant robotic titans to become the last resort against any alien threat. Though, to the credit of the Power Rangers, it probably would have been best if Megazords stayed to become the everlasting symbol of true teamwork and leadership among a certain team.

Besides, Wes wouldn't even dream about constructing these large weapons like the ones his dad approved more than a decade ago. Holding such power at all times could have easily corrupted him and those around him. Such powerful but destructive tools at the hands of non-Rangers would have been a tempting force of villainy, making madmen out of anyone who held them. His father nearly fell in that category of madmen, and he wasn't going to make himself become something of a villain either.

"Besides, he only passed control of the Guardians to the both of us. The rest of his company got split and given to several shareholders, remember?"

"Spare me the business talk, Wes." The two continued to have their fun talk as they entered the building. From the doors they entered, they walked through the lobby, passing through the long receptionist desk normally found in most other big buildings like this, and moving towards the hallway where elevator doors were built on both sides. With the press of the down button, the two men waited for their lift to arrive. The doors then slid open, letting them walk right in towards their destination.

As they entered, Eric then took out a key card from his pocket and then proceeded to have it flashed at the lower scanning panel before pressing the down button, closing the doors and had the lift begin its trip downwards. The two men waited for the lift to send them downwards all the way to the very end. However, where they were going was no ordinary place. If you were brought along with them for the first time, reaching the lowest floor you'd expect would take about just half a minute before the lift came to a slow stop. For this trip, though, it was not going to be one quick trip down their destination.

The descent lasted almost two minutes, like the lift was moving at a snail's pace, only it wasn't at all slowing down at all. The lift kept on going down deep into the ground, passing through the usual basement levels of parking spaces and into practically under-the-Earth levels. They stayed within the lift for another good minute, patiently waiting for their destination, deep within who knew where as the floor number continued to countdown to the negative value.

Finally, after that minute of going lower, the elevator had finally ceased. When the doors opened, Wes and Eric were greeted to a small room, a narrow corridor with one horizontal window on the right side. The whole room was surrounded with light blue metal walls, patterned like square panels clumped together in a grid across the scene. Above them, a waving camera monitored them, watching closely as the two men walked underneath it. At the very centre, they stopped just in front of a circular, shiny metal door, letting that overhead camera project a blue wedge-shaped ray of electronic light to sweep around their bodies. The men behind the wall window tapped onto their computers, examining the two Silver Guardians to be sure of no fraud or acts of espionage.

Wes and Eric stood firm and ready, unafraid by such detailed security checks. In this weird universe where monsters invade the Earth on a yearly basis, no procedure was too complicated. Security was tight in this deep complex that, behind the people working on the computers, three armed men stood tall and cautiously watched through the window in case Wes and Eric were imposters in disguise.

When the camera stopped scanning, the ray disappeared, confirming the visitors to be authentic and approved arrivals to the underground base that only very few individuals ever knew had existed. The magnetically-sealed door began to open as wedges separating from the centre to reveal the next room. Wes and Eric continued their trek inside.

The next section was much larger than the last. A massive hangar bay that featured many catwalks, each flanked by railings, overhead the huge space below that housed in futuristic aircraft. These craft were either docked into chambers built into the walls or just parked out in the open, with some space at front for any take-offs. Pilots and engineers could be seen operating within the presence of these modern-looking vehicles.

But what was definitely the elephant in the room among these snazzy vehicles was the largest, yet most unique machine. Right below the walkway where Wes and Eric were walking on, a large, red spaceship was being suspended using cranes and was under maintenance by robotic arms, cutting into what looked like black scorch marks and exposed metal layers that indicated that the ship had seen better days.

This giant vessel was unlike all the other vehicles down below. This one was shaped like a red sail ship; a pirate ship to be exact. It had solar panels that were shaped like the overhead sails of an old frigate, complete with the bow and the bulgy deck. Cannons lined the sides of the ship, and a long, golden curved tip at the very front stuck out, shaped like the blades of pirate cutlasses. What looked unfit for the average ship of 'ye ole days was the addition of two turbo engines at its back, accompanied by long fins that made the ship look more like some kid's fantasy. It was more of the old merging with the new.

Wes looked down on that ship, grinning of how much repairs were being done to this abnormal vessel, reminding him of the very people who once piloted it. As he walked on, he could then see another odd vessel, docked on a circular platform on the very far left side of the hangar. It was a green hovercraft, sported with two jet engines at the sides, landing gear stuck at the front sides and two golden laser cannons.

The fighter itself was being looked after by a lone man, who was wiping up the panels underneath the cockpit section. As they got close, Wes and Eric decided to give the man a shout-out. This young-looking man, wearing a dark green shirt underneath a brown vest, complete with a pair of light brown khakis, continued to clean his fighter before noticing the arrival of the two men. He turned his head around, showing the energetic smile and tipping his signature cowboy hat.

"Hey, Joel!" called out Wes. "Still cleaning your little toy?"

"Come on, Wes!" laughed Joel Rawlings, the former Green Lightspeed Ranger, waving back at the other Rangers. "This bad boy's gonna need to shine all the time!"

"I'd be more occupied with home than that old thing." uttered Eric in his usual cold mockery.

"Hey. It's my job." said Joel, still jubilant over working in this underground facility. "Gotta live it to the fullest, y'know?" Surely enough, the Aero Zord Three that once served the Lightspeed Rangers during their time was one of the finest additions to the base, serving as one of the most proficient assets in aerial superiority. While no longer part of the larger Megazord of old, it was still believed to be a formidable force on its own.

After the brief chat, Wes and Eric decided that they couldn't keep their contact waiting for long. Eventually, it was time to leave, bidding Joel a farewell before they continued on.

"We'll see you later, Joel." Wes waved his hand, leaving Joel to continue his little spare time with the fighter craft.

"See 'ya!" The two Rangers walked on as Joel continued to wipe away to give his ship that glorious gleaming appearance for future flights. Wes and Eric went through the door that was only a few more steps away from where they met Joel, entering another corridor into this secret base.

The narrow passageway into the base was lined up with numerous rooms, leading to a cross junction where people were seen walking here and there. Some of the rooms were filled with different facilities for different jobs within the base. Computer rooms at one end and science labs at the other, all sorts of happenings maintain the workforce of the hidden organization.

The two Guardians kept walking on, passing through more of the workers and officers who gazed at them, wondering of the company that their boss had expected. These two men, these Rangers, both old men walking into their base, almost expecting different men than what was imagined. Wes supposed that the secret life of a Power Ranger would always bring many assumptions over the people behind the suits. Right now, given his public status as one of the two leaders of the Silver Guardians, he felt that he and Eric felt the bill when it came to guessing the identities of the Time Force Rangers. Men, trained at the best of their skills, in charge of one of the country's best security forces would be prime candidates of being Power Rangers, but never would they have guessed that the son of one of the richest businessmen of Silver Hills would end up being one.

They continued on, pressed into meeting their contact to discuss, what was told to them, as a matter more troubling than ever before. They often wondered what could it be that would get them so worked up. Why now have they decided to call upon them when their time had already been done? It wasn't mandatory exercise to allow one team of Rangers to fight at a time; it was more of an ethical tradition to give current teams their time to shine and prevail. However, when they were called to meet the man, they had the feeling that things were going to change.

After a minute of walking into the base, Wes and Eric stumbled upon yet another familiar face. This time, it was a woman, who came dressed in a pink collared shirt and a brown coloured vest, her legs covered with a maroon skirt that was draped down to her knees. With a mobile tablet in hand, she had her eyes glued to that device until she stumbled upon the two men. With her cheery Australian accent, she welcomed the men in open arms.

"Hey, Kat." greeted Wes.

"Wes! Eric!" Katherine Hilliard cheered, coming over to give the two a hug. As the former Pink Zeo Ranger, she was never really in contact with the Time Force team; only in a few instances during Operation Forever Red and prior to the Legendary Battle. Even then, she treated them like family, especially since everyone was coming together for an occasion of the utmost importance. "Glad you both could make it."

"Is he in?" Eric asked as they separated.

"Sitting and waiting at his desk." informed Katherine, facing the direction of the two men. "You better hurry and catch him."

"Can't keep the boss waiting." joked Wes. "We'll see you later, Kat." After the Rangers said their goodbyes, the two men walked past her, leaving her to tend to other duties in this base. They walked on towards their expected meeting place to find the person who brought them here in the first place.

Walking up to the place, they had to wonder how bad things were going to be from here on out. Given that past Rangers like themselves were present at this very time, they would guess that there was a good reason why they were gathering at once. As far as they heard, the organization that owned that base had contacted various other Rangers from different teams to come to the aid of the planet for some united purpose. Even the most recent team of Rangers from Summer Cove were contacted, months after they had just teamed up with them to finish off an interdimensional crisis.

Yes, that seemed to be the most possible case of why they were sent here. As brief as the incident was for the Rangers, it highlighted an important detail when it came to dealing with threats beyond Earth's control. All the team-ups that led to this moment were clear reminders of how effective the unity of the Power Rangers truly was when more than one team combined forces with another.

So what if, just imagine, the entire force of the Power Rangers come together at once against a common threat. Just as it was a few years ago during the Legendary Battle against an enemy far greater than ever before. An enemy that was believed to be far from over…

Finally, after a minute's walk, the two Time Force Rangers were right outside the office of their contact. The two doors slid away from each other, revealing the nicely furnished room, where the walls were painted black and green with hints of white and very minute red highlights trailing at the seams. Inside at the very end of the room, a large desk was set in front of a widescreen monitor. At the table, a lone chair was turned to face away from the two men who came in afterwards.

Once they were in front of the desk, the chair turned around, revealing the man who called for Wes and Eric. The man sat comfortably on his chair, showing his aged face to the two similarly old men with slightly grown facial hair and the same old spiky hairstyle he always had for almost a decade now. He wore a brown long-sleeved jacket over a red collared shirt with a green tie draping down his chest. He gave them a welcome smile to begin their long awaited meeting.

"So, you finally arrived." said Tommy Oliver.

"Sorry." apologized Wes. "I had to deal with some street business." Tommy nodded, rising up from his chair and went towards a set of drawers at one corner of the room.

"Well, you're both here, so we can get this thing started." Tommy opened up the top drawer, browsing through an arrangement of files by scrolling through the alphabetical order. From there, he picked a file labelled 'H', scooping it up to look through the contents within that file. "Any word from the others?"

"Lightspeed Rescue has been informed and are standing by for your word." informed Wes with his arms crossed. "They've given us partial access to the new Aqua Base when you're ready."

"Good." Tommy nodded while seating himself back at the desk, shuffling through the numerous files with codenames. Names that were essential to his next phase of his grand plan to organize a united front, ranging from Mighty Morphin' to Ninja Steel. These were the names of the past teams of Rangers Tommy had recently interacted or at least studied about before making his move to build his organization. Rangers whom he needed to find to build his ultimate force of good. "I've contacted Andros, Mirinoi, and the Alien Rangers of Aquitar. With any luck, the latter will bring Billy back to Earth."

"Your old pals are turning up for the offer, too. They'll be at Angel Grove at the date of appointment." Eric added, but then slowly sighed, showing his reluctance to report the bad news. "All except two."

"Jason and Kimberly." Tommy didn't need to ask. Already, he knew these two would be difficult to reach at this moment.

"Yeah." Eric sighed with defeat emitting from his breath. "Jason just straight up refused. Still no word from Kimberly."

"I'm sorry about Jason, Tommy." said Wes sympathetically. He used to have worked with Jason on a few occasions as fellow Red Rangers, and it felt like such a pity that he had to sit this grand opportunity out to do whatever nonsense he was up to.

For one, Kimberly was out of the country, participating in a gymnastics competition in Spain, where contact would disrupt her focus in taking part. At least, assuming the time was right, they could always call her back to bring her in again. She didn't hesitate the last time, so she would most certainly be glad to become the Pink Ranger again.

On the other hand, Jason… was another story… One that Tommy couldn't speak of after some time now.

"It's for the best, guys." For now, the former Ranger himself had to accept the absence of, who he thought, was one of the greatest Rangers to have ever existed. There was always Rocky to fall back on when he needed the original Red Ranger to kick around, just as he did not too long ago.

Getting back to his files, he viewed more of the paperwork, keeping a close look on one of the more recent teams of Rangers that became his focal point of his plans.

Megaforce. A team of individuals that was the central catalyst that brought the entire force of the Power Rangers together. Six teenagers with attitude; five from Earth, one from the destroyed world of Andresia. All of them came together with the powers of every single Ranger in existence to fight and defeat a common enemy and show the world how effective when they were united.

He went through the details of their skills, as told by one of his prime sources, and saw how much more they could be should they be allowed to continue. Tommy remembered how much they gave to the Ranger name and helped defeat not one, but **four** major enemy factions at once, making them somewhat more than capable to fight newer threats should they emerge. In fact, he even got to fight alongside one of the Megaforce Rangers in the aforementioned mission he did with Rocky and the Ninja Steel team. **(A/N~ Do note that this chapter was released a week before the 25th anniversary episode in Super Ninja Steel, so I wasn't really aware of how the events actually went.)**

If they could be central to bringing the Power Rangers together, then they could very well do so again for a longer term… Tommy could already see his vision coming to light. With other Rangers slowly answering to his call, he could finally put it all together and make it known that the Power Rangers will be far more powerful and successful than ever before.

His organization was to be the starting point of this ultimate mission to make the Power Rangers the greatest force to protect the galaxy from the growing forces of evil that may lurk out there.

"Hexagon is finally up and running." he said to himself, facing away from Wes and Eric after he placed his files down. The start of a new future is about to arrive. "Now then, let's talk about Operation Heroes United."

* * *

 _Elsewhere_

Asteroid Belt,

Solar System,

As Tommy fantasied about building his own force of the Rangers united, something else was lurking from beyond Earth itself, making its own plans for a new beginning…

Within the Asteroid Belt that bordered between Earth and the red planet, Mars, chunks of space rock drifted about in a crowded lane, threatening to crash into anything in their path. It would seem like the perfect deterrent for any outside force from reaching the living blue planet.

Then again, when has that ever stopped countless forces from invading Earth?

 **BRAMM!**

A single large asteroid blew up into a mixture of dust and smaller rocks, spreading out into nothingness and leaving a hole big enough for a large ship to pass through. Surely enough, that was what exactly ploughed right through the asteroid field with slow but steady pace.

It was a ship, built at a length that could rival that of most ships within the known universe. The mighty ship had an organic shape, but built elegantly enough to show how powerful it looked. It had what looked like two statues of horses attached to the front and a towering command bridge to the back, making the ship something like an alien chariot. At its back, a large crest with several obsidian black orbs were stuck onto the golden spokes, suggesting royalty and riches within the very power it served under.

Right behind the massive frigate, smaller bronze-coloured and similarly-built ships, without the features of grand royalty, tailed behind it, blasting away at the asteroids with their frontal cannons.

And inside that ship, the very thing that Tommy Oliver feared was scheming for a major plan involving the planet Earth. He had already assumed the worst was to come; that even after the destruction of Emperor Mavro and his endless Armada at the hands of the Super Megaforce Rangers, it was the furthest thing from a total victory than they could ever imagine.

The command bridge was full of activity, with a crew of tin-headed minions running about, manning the controls to the ship through command consoles built in two columns of three rows of them. In front of them, the large viewing window took up the whole space, showing a good view of the journey through the hazardous asteroid field. And behind them, a throne was set above a tall podium with stairs lined from the very top, all the way to the floor. Laden with golden plating and with spokes coming out of the back, it was being seated by a rather powerful figure looming over the crew down below.

This mysterious being watched through the viewing glass in front of her, resting on her throne with her sights set on the direction of her course. Her fingers tapped onto the armrests, the need to destroy burning within her cold, black heart. The being wore a black and red dress that draped down all the way to the floor and sided with golden plates of armour, coupled layers of clothing wrapped around her arms. She'd be a grand beauty if it weren't for her deformed face, half of it, which included her black-lipped mouth, being purely untouched and pale, while the other half was completely shrouded by a skin of abominable tentacles on the left side of her face. Complete with more black and red tentacles brushed upwards to be shaped like a royal hat, the evil queen sat idly, thinking of all the many things she was going to do with the very enemy she was about to face **(A/N~ Just as the previous version of the story, this character will be based on Madame Noir from Toqger.)**

Her servants had been spurred into following her on her mission to go to Earth and make way for an attack on the planet Earth, far greater than anything the forces of darkness had ever seen. She had with her a massive fleet with her, though only a small portion tailed behind into the Asteroid Belt as the rest of the ships was ordered to go around the field of floating rocks in a much longer, but more strategic route to the planet. The decision to have her section of the fleet to move into the asteroid field was the leader's own. She knew that the Earth could expect enemy forces if they travelled around the Belt, so getting through the asteroids was a less obvious place to look.

One wayward asteroid was flying right for one of her ships, right at the blind spot and colliding into the smaller frigate, blowing it into pieces. Yet, the leader didn't even flinch, emotionless in the face of losing hundreds of her own people. She didn't care if her own ships were destroyed from crashing into the asteroids. Her troops were still plentiful, expendable to the last. If one failed to traverse through, then they had failed her, worthless in her quest for the ultimate revenge.

Soon, the mighty ruler was joined by three more figures, walking towards the base of the throne. She looked down to see the three warriors stand at attention to her presence before bowing down humbly. On the left, one of them was a funky clown-like alien, with skin of a variety of white, black, green and purple, and a head that looked like bowling pins stuck to each side of his masked head. **(Bibaboo from Gokaiger)**. Another was a taller, sharper warrior, with armour made out of rough orange plating that had point edges sticking out of head, shoulders and knees **(Yokubarido from Gokaiger)**. The last soldier was far bulkier than the other two, with bulging red armour all over his body, donning a horned mask of terror that sported glowing red eyes beneath it **(Basco's armoured form from Gokaiger)**.

"My liege." called the middle General, Arkanos. "We shall be arriving on the planet Earth in less than a few cycles."

"The enemy has not detected us at all!" cheered the first General, Jestino. "We will be flying right into their orbit before they know what will hit them!"

"Good." said the Empress Verinora, new ruler of the Mavro Empire, destined to take over as the reigning monarch which was once ruled by her equally notorious husband; the very same Emperor defeated at the hands of the Power Rangers. "Blast through the asteroids."

The ships moved forward, firing away with their frontal ray guns tearing through the asteroids and paving their paths towards the blue planet that was only a few days away. Just a little more, and they were out of the dangerous field before the real battles would begin.

"Your Highness." called the large General named Kalach, with a voice that was low and menacing, his hunger for destruction fuelled by the thrill of battle. "I believe it is time we plan our attack on Earth. Shall I prepare the Bruisers to begin bombardment of the planet?" His request was denied when the Empress raised her hand, foiling his chances for a quick fight with the pitiful humans.

"No. Send our scouts to survey the planet." ordered the Empress. "I want to know if these Power Rangers are as powerful as we are told." Her voice tensed at the mention of the very ones who killed her husband. She rose from her throne and descended down slowly. She passed her men and walked to the very end of the room, just behind the glass to see that the fleet had managed to traverse the asteroid field. Empty space was all that stood between her and her revenge against the Rangers.

Every moment she had since leaving her home world at the very edges of the universe, her cold blood boiled with vengeance. Her hands itched from the thought of grabbing a Power Ranger in them and obliterating them at the next second. They dared to destroy her husband, and now **she** was about to come and exact her revenge.

The Power Rangers will soon learn that they only defeated the Emperor and one armada. They were yet to face the full wrath of the empire that they once led.

"They will pay for the death my beloved! We shall crush all who stand in our way!" With a powerful and commanding scream, her servants rose with her, cheering full on for the death of the Power Rangers. The conquest of Earth will soon be theirs.

"Glory to the Mavro Empire!"

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**


	2. A New Day, A New Danger

**A/N~ Took me much longer than I expected…**

 **Well, finally, I uploaded another chapter of Power Rangers: Hexagon. And this time, if you have read my previous version of the story, this chapter is going to start a lot of new changes. Very big ones, too.**

 **But I hope you guys will enjoy this, regardless of the new direction!**

 **Reviews**

 **Super Shadowhenshin:**

 **I'm glad you feel that way about my stories, man! Thank you so much! I hope I will continue to impress you from now on XD**

 **For likes and follows, a big 'thank you' to grimcameko24, bluewaterranger, Green-Extreme-Ninjetti13, Super Shadowhenshin, Bughead4Life and 7500fx!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: A New Day, A New Danger**

Near Earth,

Solar System,

The stars were still relatively peaceful at this time, without a single solid body around to disturb the peace. Earth was just going around the scene, drifting ever so slowly around the system. The blue planet, teeming with life, was left undisturbed for some time now after recent evil forces struck the planet, only to be defeated by the long-time defenders of the planet; the Power Rangers.

It often went by that every now and then, a new team of Rangers would respond to a new threat and that they would band together to defeat it. As of now, this became such a norm, that by now, the entire universe would think to recognize the true power of the Rangers at this point. In fact, it was indeed true that the Rangers' multiple victories had struck a chord within the struggles of the known universe. Ever since the Legendary Battle long ago, there had been less havoc across numerous systems and galaxies, suggesting that the defeat of the malevolent Emperor Mavro had left a mark on those who wished to do harm to others, those who wanted to conquer and rule with an iron fist. Even remnants of Emperor Grumm's Troobian Empire were nowhere to be found after the events on Earth, presumably forced to flee into the darkest corners of the universe.

But that didn't stop one force from trying what Mavro failed to do…

From far away, heading straight for Earth, the small group of Empress Verinora's ships were approaching at cruising speeds, slowly moving forward to avoid any premature confrontations with the enemy. The other larger parts of the whole fleet were still left behind to go around the Asteroid Belt, awaiting the call of their Empress to begin the assault on Earth.

The ships were dangerously close to Earth's orbit, spearheading towards the planet without stop, as the entire crew of the fleet grew bent on one goal; its total domination of the planet.

The Empress Verinora sat idly on her throne, expectantly awaiting the moment where she would strike fear into the hearts of countless lives across the universe. She hadn't removed herself from the throne, let alone the bridge itself for almost the entire journey from the home planet, only getting up to address her men on a few occasions. Even when the ship faced perils in its trek, she did not waver, choosing to move forward and eliminate all obstacles away, even entire worlds. No mercy was spared, just death and destruction within astronomical proportions.

Once they reached the ends of Dark Space and into the known universe, they minimized the brutality of their march to Earth, working harder to avoid contact with any force or world that could pose a threat to the fleet, especially near KO-35 or even Sirius, where their forces would waste their element of surprise against the likes of the worlds' governments.

And now, her persistence to take the stealthy route rewarded her with the prize of Earth, just in front of her. Now, the pieces were coming together as she began to mobilize her armies to attack it. In front of her, one of her Generals, Kalach, bowed down before giving her the usual report on the planet they were about to conquer.

"Your Highness. Our scouts have been deployed." informed the General. "They shall arrive on Earth in a few moments." A brief moment of silence for Verinora as she eyed the General's demeanour. After having him by her side for many years, she could easily make out the anxiety in his face, despite it being nothing more than a haunting mask hiding his deformed face. How his body was fidgeting minutely in front of her, the signs of a warrior in need to battle.

"You seem tense, General." she noted to her General. Kalach remained silent, unable to face his Empress without getting away with how she noticed his emotions for destruction. He hesitated to speak, ashamed that he let his need to kill expose his vulnerability to the Empress, but there was no tolerance for unanswered questions or statements.

"I don't see why you sent that clown to lead the reconnaissance mission. This wasn't supposed to be a strike mission." he admitted. The moment his hated comrade, Jestino, was chosen to lead the first wave of forces onto Earth, he felt the bitterness inside of him gargle wildly with disbelief that the arrogant General was selected.

"Your role in this battle shall come, General." the Empress nonchalantly assured him. "Have patience and you shall have your chance." Unable to confess more, Kalach took one more bow before leaving her Highness to ponder about her upcoming invasion. In the meantime, he headed for the bridge, where his counterpart, Arkanos, stood watching the planet that was about to feel their wrath.

"She is right, Kalach." said Arkanos. "I advise you practice restrain in your taste for blood." Kalach rached his hand to his back and stroked the hilt of his mighty weapon. A weapon forged from the armouries of his home world. An infernal stone blade made from the very skin of the fallen demon, Maligore, and carved using the steel mined by the Crevan warrior race in which his own people waged war against numerous times before.

The dark blade, etched with red markings lining down the surface that flashed dimly with the rhythm of a heart beating. The rage in Kalach's body made his own heart pump at the same synchronization with his weapon's energy, almost as if they were linked in some way. If he was hungry for violence, then his blade was just as powered up to slice.

"My blade has been radiating for battle. It cannot sustain its desire to destroy for long. It must kill…"

"And in time, you will." Arkanos assured his compatriot. "First, let us see how powerful these Rangers really are. Then, we shall see if your blade will see flesh." The two continued to view the planet, watching the numerous swarms of fighters flying straight for the large landmass of dirt in front of them.

From this moment forth, the conquest of Earth was about to begin anew, the Mavro Empire was ready to strike at the greatest enemy they had ever faced, to see if they were really a force to be reckoned with.

Revenge is within sight…

* * *

Hexagon HQ,

New York City,

USA,

Earth,

Solar System,

A day had gone by in New York City and Hexagon was up and running. Tommy walked out of his office and headed down to the radar room, where some of his employees were monitoring the Earth and its orbit. The new supervisor of this secret organization brushed past men and women, coming in and out of rooms from both sides of the corridor he walked into. He made sure to greet everyone who also bid him welcome in their presence, showing how much of a boss he was in the base. All the people he had taken into the base were either Rangers themselves, or most of them used to work for the government or other high-class jobs, trained to keep their profiles at an all-time low from the outside world.

As he walked on his way, Tommy had his mind on the pending gathering of the Rangers of many generations to combat the possible threats that loomed out there. And for this to work, he needed to remind them of the power that would unite them under one cause.

He gazed at the golden Master Morpher he received not too long ago by the forces that held the Power at its source. A gift from the Grid to show how involved he was in the Ranger business, on and off the field of battle. But Tommy never saw his new Morpher as just a reward for his heroism, not as an extension of his abilities and power, but as a symbol of his role in preserving the Ranger legacy by uniting the Rangers together when he needed them the most.

At times, different generations of Rangers would revere him as **the** legend, other times they would depend on him for matters greater than their own. Tommy, however, never really saw himself as an almighty 'king' of the Rangers. To him, he was just an ordinary Ranger who just had a lot of connections and relations with others.

For now, however, that Master Morpher laid powerless, used up after his battle with Lord Drayven in the Anti-Verse. It was customary that, once a new team of Rangers is decided, any power that came before them would be preserved in the Morphing Grid, only to be restored when another emergency was coming.

So far, however, there had been a lacking void of any new Ranger teams who would take over from the Ninja Steel team, leaving the Earth without a means of defence, until hexagon could move forward.

Tommy knew, if there was an evil coming for Earth, he had to find a way to unlock the powers of the Morphing Grid to up the Ranger game. For that to work, he needed to find a conduit between the real world and the Grid. He needed someone who could access the Grid itself and activate the powers of the previous Rangers once the real danger arrived.

Once he got what he needed, things were not going to be the same, ever again.

Life for Tommy had its ups and downs, more good than bad, though. To put it bluntly, he had a proper job as a professor of paleontology at a university, while serving part-time as an instructor at his own dojo. He had a happy marriage with his long-time sweetheart, Katherine, and together, they had a little son they called JJ, who Tommy had high hopes for a career in the Ranger business one day. Of course, he would only want what his son really liked, leaving him to make his own decisions, just as he had when the old man himself chose to take up the Ranger mantle.

Right now, the simple life of being a parent was going to hit a small bump, and while he and Kat both agreed to be part of Hexagon, little JJ would be allowed to accompany his parents to the base, also promising to not tell anyone at school about how his dad, his Power Ranger of a dad, was building all of this.

Finally, Tommy went into the communications room, reaching for one of the men operating a radar console, where a spherical wireframe picture of the Earth being scanned by a spinning ray of light on the screen.

"How are we doing, Archie?" Tommy patted the man, slightly startling him. He couldn't blame him; he was wearing a headset after all.

"Still nothing, sir." the radio operator spoke. "The perimeter's all good." Tommy looked closely at the radar, seeing for himself that the planet was safely void of any threats around its orbit. Patting the operator on the back, he nodded appreciatively, thanking him for a job well done.

After checking in with a few more of the staff, he exited the room, confirming that the situation is all clear, no enemies to threaten the Earth and no worries to bother him today. But today was not enough to keep him in the calm for whatever dangers he was waiting for.

Tommy walked out the door to see Wes and Eric, both waiting for him to continue a bit of chatter between the three.

"I get that we're forming this mass union of Rangers, but what makes you think there's something out there that's about to attack us?" asked Wes. As much as he understood about the possibilities of more powerful dangers, he wasn't so sure about how soon those dangers would present themselves. All he did know

"Before I offered Andros a chance to join Hexagon, he has agreed to keep in touch. Since then, he has reported on multiple disturbances across the sectors between the Solar System and his home world of KO-35." explained Tommy. "Since then, we have been monitoring all possible traces for enemy movement in all areas, thanks to some help from Andros."

The three men walked away from the communications room, heading over to the war room to begin the next phase of Tommy's plan to begin Hexagon's operations. Tommy often thought back at the many times the Power Rangers came together in team-ups against common enemies, thinking of how to bring them back again. This was not going to be a sudden incident or crisis where the alliances would be forced upon by fate. If he needed to fight against a much larger threat, Tommy needed to find a way to contact all of the Rangers and see if they were willing to join together and make the time to come to HQ.

Moreover, he had to find a way to restore the powers of every single Ranger, should they all decide to come and join the organization. Even if he brought the army he needed, they would not have their respective powers to morph up and fight. Fortunately, he had an answer for that; he just needed the motivation to get it.

"This is a very important mission, Wes." added Tommy. "You remember what happened in the Anti-Verse, right?"

"Drayven and his clone army of Rangers. Yeah, hard to forget." sighed Wes. The two senior Rangers didn't really find their journey into this dark and depressing realm any more enjoyable, and their fight against the apparent overlord of the dimension and his robot army of Rangers was among their most intense yet. If such villains could break open holes into other dimensions, then there had to be a reason to mobilize against future threats.

"It's imperative that the Power Rangers come together again. This time, for a good long while." Tommy sighed. The truth was, he didn't even know if other Rangers would even want to come back. Many of them could be well adjusted to their normal lives, that the life of a Ranger was already in the past; meant to be put aside for their own personal goals in life.

One of them, especially, was the biggest bummer among them all…

Tommy chose to ignore the rejection from the one Ranger he thought would join, unconditionally. If he didn't want to be part of the Ranger business anymore, then it was his choice. Rocky would always be there to answer the call.

"Any word from the other Rangers on Earth?" Tommy asked Wes and Eric, choosing to forget the worries for now.

"Not yet. We're about to mobilize and find them soon." informed Eric "We'll start with the Ninja Academies near Blue Bay Harbour."

"We'll also consider getting the Rangers at Briarwood, just as you asked." added Wes. Tommy nodded, acknowledging the first stages of his gathering of Rangers. He would have to welcome the Lightspeed Rangers, who all agreed, beforehand, to take part in the fight against the pending evil.

"I'll call Trent next." suggested Tommy. "He can help us out too." The fifth member of the Dino Thunder team, Trent Mercer, was among the other Rangers kidnapped by Lord Drayven, so Tommy wouldn't have to find any difficulty meeting up with him to discuss about these troubling matters. The same went for the other Rangers, including Rocky, Kat, TJ, Antonio and, interestingly enough, Gia; the subject of what Tommy was about to discuss next.

"What about the Megaforce team?" asked Eric. "Aren't they ready to go?"

"It's too soon to tell." sighed Tommy. "For all we know, they could still be adjusting to normal life again."

It was to be remembered that the younger teams would be unaware of what Tommy feared, so it'd be a good time as any to tell them of what was about to come. In fact, they were the key to all of this; the very team he needed to realize Hexagon's goals.

"You know, if things are really going to go down, then they would have to answer the call." assured Eric. A Ranger's duty was always something to never back out from, only when the given threat is eliminated and the chosen ones were grown enough would they be able to move on.

This time, however, Tommy knew that among the team, Gia Morgan, the Yellow Megaforce Ranger, would be the first to answer his call, should there be another crisis at hand. In fact, all of the Rangers that came with him, Kat and Wes to the Anti-Verse were among the Rangers Tommy would depend on to gather their respective teams together. If he thought of a core team of Legendary Rangers to return to action, then these Ranger teams were the ones to find.

The goals of Hexagon were just a few calls away from being realized. Tommy hoped that his chance to build his ultimate force of Rangers would come before the impending threat coming to Earth. The time to fight back was about to arrive…

"With all the teams coming together, things will never be the same again." Wes sighed, contemplating about how things were going to change from here on out. Tommy gave him a small grin, patting him on the shoulder.

"Who knows?" laughed Tommy. "Maybe somewhere down the line, a new light will reveal itself."

* * *

Harwood County,

California,

USA,

Earth,

Solar System,

The first day of school? No… **another** first day of school. Not the first after a long summer break, but her first time in this school, **overall**... And how many schools did she have to go to get a decent chance at scoring those grades?

Too many for her liking…

The same trip from house to school all over again, she thought. Unnerving, full of expectations. Expectations that were more worrisome than promising. Just how much more could she ever hope for? All the schools before her either didn't suit well for her, or she did not suit the schools themselves. No matter where she went, there was no chance for her to succeed.

And why did she feel so shunned out of these schools? Simple; just blame the one thing that made her such an outcast in the first place…

Sarah Lovett scratched her right hand, wearing a glove over it. The blue woolly accessory wasn't the most comfortable item to wear. It's like having a mosquito flying around your hand for the whole day, biting you constantly, and there's nothing you could do to get rid of it. That glove was giving her all sorts of rashes and she desperately wanted to take it off.

Unfortunately, there was no other option. She had to keep it on, even if it itched and looked weird, especially since she only wore one glove; not a pair, **one**. She didn't want to take it off, but at the same time, she wanted to. It was a conflict playing in her mind over whether she should ditch the glove or not, but she would always choose to keep it on.

Just for school, Sarah thought. Just for school. A whole semester of school… Just great…

"Okay, Sarah. Here we are." Sarah was shot out of her train of thought by her mother, who was at the wheel, driving Sarah in the family SUV to school. As Sarah peered out the window, she could see the crowded building that was to be her new school.

Harwood High.

The blonde-haired girl didn't really feel any different at all. It seemed just like any other high school she's been to for the past two years. Students walking into the building just ten minutes before the clock at the entrance would strike eight, some sitting outside, chilling with others, while a few more would show off their unique skills like basketball, gossip and studies…

Yep, all the same, really… but she did know that what would be different from all the other schools before Harwood laid **inside** the building. Anything and anyone she would eventually learn to adapt with would make all the difference between an eventual chance at graduating and another terrible ousting from society.

Sarah Lovett always struggled to fit in. All the schools she went to ended with the same problem, much to the utmost concern of her family and the few friends she did have. She was a social outcast, and it was all because of the…

No. Sarah didn't want to acknowledge the problem she had. She had to start fresh again. This time, she had her glove to help out with her problem. And yet, even with a new tool in hand (no pun intended), she could still feel the anxiety burning through her.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Her mother, as accurate with her intuition as she could be, caught on with her daughter's silent demeanour. She shook her daughter gently, getting her attention. To tell her the truth, she was already aware of Sarah's problems with school, understanding that she was being hesitant to go through another tumultuous moment in the building, to be teased at or bullied by those around her.

But with all of her shortcomings, Sarah was not just some quiet little girl. Get past the socially-awkward persona, and you could definitely find a fiery young lady just waiting for some action.

Now, however, the girl was hiding in a shell of doubt, unsure of how much further she could go here.

"I'm not sure I'll ever fit in here." sighed Sarah, finally speaking after being silent for the whole journey. She looked at her mother in minor dismay. "Three schools, Mom. **Three**." She made her point by showing her whole palm, five fingers struck out. She had a proper start when she was fourteen, but by the time she was fifteen, things didn't seem to look up to her, forced to delay her academic performance for countless semesters before this.

She wanted a miracle; a chance that she could fit in, just as she was able to do so long ago before the teasing began.

"I don't want to make you disappointed." she said with all of her heart. She couldn't afford to make her mother go through all of these school transfers and make her find her jobs elsewhere. She didn't want to put the pressure on her any longer. She had to make this right; Harwood High was to be the place where she would make her grand debut!

"You'll do great, honey." Susan Lovett smiled, thankful that her daughter cared much about her. "Just be yourself." After one heart-warming hug from her mother, Sarah prepared to disembark, bag strapped onto her shoulders and opened the door. Stepping into the pavement, she looked at her mother one last time.

From there, Susan clenched her fist and showed Sarah her trademark Lovett pride with the usual punchline.

"Believe in the power." cheered Susan. Sarah's mouth crept into a smile, returning the gesture with a fist of courage.

"Believe in the power." acknowledged Sarah, waving to her mother. "Love you, mom."

"Love you too, sweetie." Afterwards, the door shut and her mother drove off. Sarah was now alone, once again. Looking at the building again, she gazed at the sheer size of the school. She took out a pamphlet from her pocket, showing the logo of the school before she opened it up to reveal a page about a freshman's activity that involved a tour of the school. From there, she would meet up with a senior student who would guide her throughout the building.

Taking in a deep breath, she closed the pamphlet and looked towards the school. She was going to make it through the day. From this moment forth, Sarah Lovett was going to ace this school, once and for all!

"Okay, Sarah. New school, new journey." With more heart throbs to boost her confidence, Sarah finally took the initiative to walk, heading right for the doors and into another life at the academic centre of rambunctious youths and turbulent times.

The moment she entered, she was already greeted with a crowd of students, all gathered up at their lockers, talking with friends or just getting stuff in and out before their first class of the day. Sarah kept on walking, wondering what kind of stuff could go on in this joint.

She looked around, passing her soon-to-be schoolmates in search for this freshman tour to get around the place. A minute into the building and so far, so good. No one seemed to take notice of the glove, or her awkward face. To keep herself in check, she needed to head to the designated classroom to meet with these senior students to start.

Sarah walked fast, hoping to meet with someone who would at least be welcoming enough to show her around. She didn't pay attention to anyone, not even the handsome boys or the chatty girls. All she needed to do was know what she was going to deal with before delving into social meetings.

Unfortunately, she wasn't going to last long in the shadows.

"Oh, look, guys!" A loud, bombastic yell came from around the corner, in a hallway, where she could see a group of strong, tall guys standing around in the middle of the hall. They all had their backs against her, prompting her to at least investigate what was going on.

She kept a low profile and watched from behind the corner, waiting to see what the fuss was all about. The men were lined up, facing the other end of the hall, where Sarah took notice of a smaller boy, carrying a stack of books in his arms.

"Four Eyes is back!" Sarah kept watching the boys call out to this kid they called 'Four Eyes'. Yep, the typical stereotypical name to insult a kid wearing glasses who was seen with that many books. The four grown boys stood there, throwing insults at him. Sarah could see the poor guy feeling intimidated by the scenario. And yet, by some weird reason, he kept on moving, still frightened but not stopping. He kept his head down, but it didn't do much against a pack of scheming boys just waiting to do some damage to him.

Sarah couldn't help but watch as the kid came closer to the group, baffled that he was not trying to run or cower.

Instead, he just went straight without taking a step back. Why was he going take the blow of these guys? Was he nuts? Four strong men against a little boy; the odds were clearly stacked against him.

"What you got there, nerdy?" taunted one of the boys, ruffling with the younger kid's hair.

"Oh, you know." the victim replied, almost casually, if not forced. "The usual."

"Oh, the kid thinks he's so smart, he can talk smack back at us, huh?" threatened another boy. Sarah was not liking the situation one bit. Everyone was watching but all they could do was watch.

No, she thought. She promised her mother that she would not be in any trouble in this school, let alone on the very first day. Sarah did not wish to become the target again, not wanting to be kicked around like many times before.

"Yeah. I think he needs to learn a new lesson." At that moment, a third kid came from behind him and then, nudged him at the back. The force of the hit was strong enough for the books to fall of his arms, startling the boy even more.

That was when Sarah's blood started to boil again. She had a tough time dealing with kids with similar attitudes in her previous schools, and now, here she was, watching the same antics happening before her, to another kid.

"Haha." the boy sheepishly chuckled. "Very funny, guys." He then dropped down to try and pick up his books, but the boys kept on picking on him, pushing him back and laughing at his misery.

There was so much Sarah could take. Now, she was watching them crowd around as he laid on the floor, unable to defend himself. Watching these clowns make a fool out of this poor guy was starting to get on her nerves.

Eventually, she'd had enough. Yes, this might get her into trouble again, but this time, she would do so not for herself, but for someone in need. If no one wanted to help, then she better get some work done.

After she came over behind the bullies, she gave a loud 'ahem' to get them to look. All at once, the scene was set on her. Everyone turned their heads to find this teenage girl, standing defiantly against a group of larger boys, to defend a poor victim.

"Is there a problem, boys?" she crossed her arms, voice coming out with serious sass. The men looked at each other with amusement, clearly interested in what this new girl wanted with them.

"Well, you're someone we've never seen around here." The four boys walked away from the young lad on the floor, now shifting their focus on Sarah. One would think; what the heck was she doing? She was messing with the wrong people, bullies who would do almost anything just for a bit of fun. A poor, defenceless girl, being surrounded by four adrenaline-rushed men.

Clearly, they haven't met Sarah Lovett. Those times leaving the schools before this. They weren't just acts of running away or out of mere discomfort at the schools. Yes, she did decide to walk out, but not before dealing with her problems the old fashioned way.

"Looks like Four-Eyes here has a little girlfriend after all." teased another boy, with the others joining in with the humiliation. Sarah, however, remained unmoved. Calm and collecting, she was slowly trying to see how more annoyed she could be to know how to deal with these chums.

"I'm **not** his girlfriend." cleared Sarah, sounding off as someone who wanted business. "But I am someone you don't want to mess with." After her warning, the boys just cooed in mock amazement and then laughing at her 'false' threats.

"And what're you going to do about it?"

"Go wash some clothes, missy!"

Despite their constant threats and the eyes of many others around her, Sarah just kept on walking towards the poor boy on the ground. She then gave him a hand a got him back up, when two of the boys came towards her.

They stared her down, and still, Sarah didn't flinch. But then, they took a good look at her hand, noticing the right glove, allowing them the opportunity to really kick it in her soul. With a wicked sneer, they proceeded to taunt her.

"Hey, didn't you hear? Winter's over." Sarah quickly caught on, a bead of sweat suddenly dropping down the side of her face. She then noticed the boy about to reach out for her hand. "So, why don't you take that glove off before…"

 **GRAB!**

All of a sudden, the boy did manage to touch her hand. Unfortunately, it was not the way he wanted it to be. By the time he realized it, he found his own hand being grabbed by Sarah's own tight grip. With one strong pull, she lifted it up with force. The shocked bully then took a good look at the girl and, to his immediate dread, saw a pair of serious eyes, glaring right into him.

Everyone couldn't believe it! Someone actually stood up to this creep and even had the gall to stop him, so much so by grabbing his hand and threatening him. The kid with the glasses kept on watching in awe at this girl, standing up for him in the midst of a troublesome bunch. He didn't have any words to describe her except…

Awesome…

Just when the trouble was just getting started, Sarah decided that the bully hadn't had enough of his own medicine. With a tight grip, she squeezed his hand with deadly crushing force, turning the tough guy down to a measly cry-baby as he squealed in pain. Sarah kept crushing his hand until the boy sunk lower to the floor, bending to his knees with agony.

As he cried out, the other bullies nearly stumbled at the sight of their leader falling to the ground like a wimp. They backed off from them as Sarah proceeded to lock her eyes onto the lead bully, giving him one mischievous smirk.

Finally, after she was done, she gave the bully one push, making him tumble to the ground. She then stood over the boy, still grinning victoriously at his misery as he gripped his crushed wrist. Sarah looked long enough to see the now moping face of his, giving him one final word to see him off.

"I warned 'ya." After her warning, the bully then made a run for it, followed by his equally frightened crew. When Sarah looked at the crowd watching her, they all began to whisper to one another, seeing this girl just come in and straight up put those bullies in their place.

Sarah sighed. So much for keeping her calm and not getting into trouble. She didn't want the students to give her any attention from making such a scene. However, she would have to accept it, knowing that she saved someone else for a change. If she was going to go down like this, she would do it under a more noble cause.

Then, when she thought she was going to get the attention she unintentionally earned, all the students just turned away and resumed their usual activities. Sarah couldn't really fathom this; for a moment there, she thought someone was going to at least applaud or lament her for her actions, or worse, call the principal.

Oh well, she thought. Shrugging her shoulders, she went over to see to the victim. The less heat she gained, the better. If she was going to meet the principal anyway, she would have something to prove that she had to do what needed to be done.

Sarah went over to the boy she helped, seeing that he was on the floor, collecting his books. Poor guy. He really had it coming, though she could never understand why he would just accept the harsh treatment, like it was nothing.

No one seemed to be helping, either. The other students just stood there and watched while this kid was getting his behind handed to him. He could use some backup to help him with his problems.

Well, Mom said she needed to make friends, so here's her chance. This boy seemed nice enough, so it's a start.

"Thanks." sighed the boy.

"No problem." cheered Sarah. "You okay?"

"I'll get used to it." Again, the kid just shrugged off his sorrowful situation. She had to punch some sense into him before he got himself hurt a lot more than he needed to be.

"I'm Sarah." she greeted, extending a hand for him to shake. The boy didn't respond for a while, almost like he was surprised over her willingness to get to know him. Nevertheless, he acknowledged the greeting with a handshake.

"Donnie." he said. After finally introducing themselves, Sarah decided to help out with the books on the floor, willing to lend a hand.

"Let me help you with that." As such, the two new acquaintances gathered the books up. After helping Donnie, the two began to move out, Sarah letting Donnie walk with her on her first day. She didn't really mind if he was just another stranger. It could never hurt to have someone to hang out with, after all.

"So, what's with those boys anyway?" She began to discuss about the main problem of the day, feeling that she should at least know the story behind his constant abuse by these punks.

"Oh. Nothing much, really." Donnie nonchalantly uttered. "They always do this."

"Really? That's it?" Sarah deadpanned, again mystified by how ignorant this guy was with his problems.

"I know it's bad, but trust me, it's not much of an issue." added Donnie. Seriously, what the heck was wrong with him? They were clearly harassing him; physically, too, might she add.

"Okay…" But then, she thought it wasn't the best idea to take action until she really had it. She had to know the full extent of the whole student body here before she would make things right for anyone she would make for friends. For now, she had to stick by this kid's side and defuse the situation bit by bit.

"So, uh…" uttered Donnie. "You're new around here, right?"

"Yeah, I just transferred from Stone Canyon. Now, I'm just wanting to find the welcoming committee, so that I can be toured around the school." explained Sarah. Ah yes, the ol' backwater prison that was Stone Canyon High. Surprisingly, a good number of students tend to be shifted from that place in the past decade or so… Good thing she was one of those individuals who **escaped** that lacklustre place.

Now that she was here with this new acquaintance, she had to find some way to connect with someone. It was a good time to make a new friend, after all.

"Do you wanna help me out? Maybe **you** can tour me through this place?" offered Sarah gleefully. Donnie chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head, overcome with worry and hesitance.

"Um… actually, I kinda want to avoid any attention with those punks swarming around." said Donnie.

"Oh." Sarah muttered, but still offered to have him accompany her along the way. "Then why not just follow me? I could actually use someone to talk to for a change."

"Okay." Donnie nodded with accepting pleasure to be invited to walk with someone new.

"Cool. Let's go." As such, the two new friends walked together through the hall, Sarah keeping an eye out for more dysfunctional students or teachers to deal with should the need arise. In the meantime, she was going to get along with Donnie if she was to have any chance of a social life here in Harwood.

"So, how long you've been here?" asked Sarah.

"Pretty much all my life, really." said Donnie, with a bit of uncertainty that Sarah couldn't really fathom, like the boy's sentence wasn't that much of truth. She couldn't tell why, but she thought it wasn't much of a big deal, really.

"And how long have you been picked on by those losers?" inquired Sarah again, bringing weirder defences from the teen boy.

"I wouldn't say 'picked on'." laughed Donnie. "Kinda like, rough bonding."

" _Rough bonding_? Really?" uttered Sarah, still unconvinced. "That's so lame." She had to shrug it off, willing to spend more time in the school before she could take any necessary action.

Then, Donnie scanned Sarah's right hand, spotting the blue glove that stood out as the moon in the night sky. Something out of place in a school filled with casually dressed students, let alone during the summer of all times… He couldn't help but hesitate to ask, knowing that wearing might have been a sensitive issue to bring up. Could it be something to be overly attached to, like a teddy bear for a little kid? Or was it something a lot darker, like a scar?

"Hey. What's up with your hand there?" He still asked, causing Sarah to slightly retreat her hand in response. Whenever someone would always ponder about her glove aloud, she would quickly hide it. This time, she was in the company of someone who didn't seem like the type to expose the truth, given his timid personality.

"Nothing." she shrugged. "Just a little thing to have around."

"Oh, don't let my curiosity get the better of you." assured Donnie, noticing the hesitation on her face. "I was just asking."

"It's cool. I know it's weird having this on, but I really need it." Sarah told him. "No questions asked, got it?"

"Your secret's safe with me." Holding up a hand of pledging, Donnie promised to keep his lips shut.

Sarah smiled at his warm reception towards her, feeling nice to know that she already made a new friend on day one. Well. Not the best way to start the day, but one new friend on the first try. That counts. But just as she was about to let it settle in nicely, trouble was already about to find her once more.

 **AAAHH!**

An ear-piercing scream, followed by a rough collision that tripped Sarah down on the ground. She fell hard on her back, with the force of her backpack striking against her. Donnie quickly went to pick her up, lifting her at her left hand. After rising back up, Sarah rubbed her back in pain from the fall, wondering who the heck smashed into her.

In front of her, another girl, almost her age by the looks of it, managed to balance her fall, only to have her books scattered across the floor beneath her. She rubbed her shoulder, massaging the pain off her. Her black hair, tied to a ponytail, with a small part of it neatly combed at the front. Her pink blouse roughed up and her dark blue cargo pants being dusted off from the filth of the floor, much to her disgust. When her pale face looked at the girl who bumped into her, she cringed with a groan.

"Ugh! Now look what you've done!"

"Geez, sorry." apologized Sarah, eager to make it up to the girl. "H-here, let me help you!" But all she got was a sudden slap of her wrist, causing her to flinch back in a state of shock.

"I don't need your help! Thank you very much!" retorted the girl, sarcasm riddling out of her mouth. Sarah thought, it's going to be one of those kinds of people, huh? Great… just what she needed; a whiny brat who thought she was higher than everyone else…

"Alright, alright!" beamed Sarah, patience already thin from her last encounter with such ungrateful individuals. "Don't need to be such a snob." The last word in the sentence was shot out with pure intention, clearly worked when the girl took the offence badly.

"What did you call me?" whelped the exasperated student. "What did you call me?!" Yet, Sarah kept up her momentum, willing to show how pathetic this girl was behaving.

"You heard what I said. I know a rich, grumpy old woman when I see one."

"That's it!" the girl growled, temper flaring higher than ever. "I shall have you expelled from the school as fast as you can spell the word!" The threat, added with a point of the finger, sharply shot at Sarah like a bullet. She would soon learn, however, that the blonde girl had the will of iron and the wits to fight back with, and she was about to end this little scuffle in one blow. Sarah crossed arms, finally having had enough of this little cry-baby.

"If you're so good in spelling, then no need to rub it in my face, princess." With that final remark, the girl was left baffled, wide-mouthed beyond belief. The nerve of this little runt to insult her at such a ferocious and atrocious level! Did she know who she was talking to?!

How dare this little newbie insult the studious, perfect mind of Tracy Styles?!

"Hmph!" But the girl had no time for losing her temper to such an insolent fool. She knew better to start an argument right at the height of her achievements, for today, that is. Taking her dignity with her, Tracy turned away back into the classroom, not bothered to deal with this little brat for long. She was already better than her in all other aspects anyway, so no matter what she would throw at her, she would be the perfect student.

Sarah eyed the stubborn girl enter the room, practically cursing under her breath, hoping she wouldn't end up in the same classes as her. It'd be a total bane to her attitude, so going through a whole class with her would totally ruin her stride for a normal day.

"Someone must have walked on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

"That's Tracy." said Donnie. "The president of her class, four years in a row!" Of course; the typical snobby popular girl. Why was she not surprised when they first bumped into each other, literally?

"And that's supposed to impress me?" sighed Sarah sarcastically.

"She thinks she's impressed all of the school." laughed Donnie.

"And you?" When Sarah asked, he gave her the neutral shrug, confirming that not 'all of the school' was thoroughly smitten by her achievements.

"Meh. I don't really like to be associated with someone that obnoxious."

"Well, I'm glad we can agree on something." Sarah said with a grin, feeling better being at this guy's company for a change. Speaking of which, she'd wonder if Donnie would at least be in the same class as her, considering that he was the first person she managed to socialize with on the first day.

"So, what class are you having tomorrow?" asked Sarah.

"Oh, uh… the first one would be Biology class." answered Donnie, earning elation from the teenage girl, happy to hear that someone friendly was in the same class.

"Oh! Me too!" she cheered, sharing her enthusiasm with the boy.

"That's great." he said, surprised himself. "So, I guess that means we're…" Then, he stopped, just before he would say something a little uncalled for.

"Huh?" Sarah, however, caught what he said, enticing her to implore more.

"Never mind." Donnie stuttered, trying to dismiss his question. There was a bit of annoyance in his voice, hinting at something he wanted to bring up, but not finding it worth talking about. "I usually have to find a lab partner to work with, and I normally work with my best pal, Andy, but he's not really the most reliable teammate, since he's always out with the ladies." He shook his head, frustrated that the one person he could rely on was out smooching with other girls, or at least, he would try.

"And he's your best pal?" Sarah wondered if this Andy person was being serious about his friendship with Donnie, if he was the things he said about him.

"Can't help if the guy's got an attitude." Donnie shrugged again. Seriously, is he really that unfazed by his life in school enough to raise his shoulders on every single thing? "Unfortunately, Andy's already got a partner. One of the girls he's trying to hook himself up with."

"So, that's why you asked me to…?" asked Sarah again, finally realizing the question Donnie wanted to say to her.

"Yeah." Immediately met with joy, he cried out happily. However, his response was a bit too quick for Sarah to catch on, making him a little embarrassed. "I mean, it's cool! I-I don't want to get in the way on your first day."

"What do you mean?" laughed Sarah. "You're doing plenty!" She gave him a gentle punch to the arm, sending the boy almost reeling from her tough force. "And if you really want me to be your partner, why not?"

"You mean it?" Donnie couldn't believe it. Someone else had asked him to be his lab partner, not the other way around! He didn't believe it would come true one day, let alone from a new girl of all people.

"Cross my heart and hope to die." Sarah agreed, making a cross gesture at her chest. "You can even use a scalpel to do it." she chuckled, but did not receive the same humorous response from her new friend, deadpanned by her lack of a proper joke. "I know. Terrible joke."

"Well, thanks for that." said Donnie sheepishly. "It's not really everyday someone actually asks me to be their lab partner." The two of them couldn't help but grin with joy, with Sarah happy that she had finally made a proper friend in Donnie, while the boy was glad to have someone to help him out with his studies without having to be side-tracked by other things like Andy was.

Almost at the same time, the two couldn't help but have the thought in their minds…

 _I can get used to this guy already_ _ **/**_ _I can get used to this girl already_.

After a good chat between each other, the two teenagers came to the sports hall, the huge basketball court, where a good number of other students were scattered across the room, expected to attend the upcoming students' meeting that would begin the day of school.

Sarah didn't really expect herself to stay for long, even if she had Donnie to socialize with. She had the free choice to leave the school and relax for today only, when the real lessons would begin the next day. But what she wanted here was for a different purpose; to find the students who shall lead her around the school.

Said students were already in the middle of the court, waiting for the appointed new girl to meet up with. A slightly older girl, wearing a blue denim jacket with its sleeves folded to her elbow, with a white and pink T-shirt beneath it. She sported a pair of pink shorts to finish up her attire, with her long, curly brown hair draping down to her hip level. The girl had a few sheets of paper being shifted around in the stack, presumably paperwork for an event or something. By her side was another teenager, well enough her age, tending to the same stuff. The boy wore a blue T-shirt, made his hair to a small, curly afro and a pair of glasses, suggesting a student of academic brilliance, much like Donnie when Sarah first met him.

Sarah recognized the girl as the student she was supposed to meet; Emma Goddall. She didn't know who the other guy was, but she didn't seem to mind another friend to hang out with.

"Let's go." she motioned for Donnie to come with her, Donnie agreed to follow along and walked with her to the two older students.

"Where the heck is Troy?" groaned Emma, eagerly waiting for another friend of hers.

"I know, right?" added Noah. "It's weird that he's actually late." Emma didn't really want to leave Troy from the task of showing the new girl around the school, having spent time with him and another group of friends for the past year now; spending time saving the world, that is.

Almost a year ago, they were just getting to know each other, and the next thing they knew it, they were chosen to defend the Earth from an evil Emperor and his Armada. Now, peace had been restored and while the world was still recovering from the aftermath of the invasion, Harwood was getting back to the way it was before the monstrous days of attack. And the Megaforce Rangers were finally settling back to school like nothing had ever happened. You'd be amazed by how much an entire community could ever bounce back from times of strife.

"Well, I guess we have to make the tour ourselves in the meantime." Emma finally gave up; Troy was probably oversleeping after having an all-out exercise routine at the park the day before.

Sarah then came up to the two older teens, catching their attention.

"Excuse me. Are you Emma Goddall?" she asked.

"Yep! That's me! You must be Sarah Lovett." Emma, in her usual cheery self, reached out her hand to shake Sarah's. The younger girl nearly flinched when she took out her right hand, almost hesitating to pull back. Noticing the confused looks on the older teens' faces, she eventually mustered enough courage to make an awkward handshake. After the greeting, she immediately dug her hand into her pocket, glad she didn't blow her first chance at making a good impression.

"I was told you were going to help me around the school?" she asked.

"All part of the Freshmen's Welcome Wagon!" Emma answered in her usual welcoming bubbly beat.

"Okay, we have to come with a better name for that, Emma." sighed a deadpanned Noah.

"Hush you."

"I'm Noah." introduced the boy in spectacles, shaking Sarah's own hand. "And I see you've already met Donnie."

"Hey, Noah." Noah saw the state of Donnie's clothes, noticing a bit of rustled up fabric in contrast to the tidy, smooth cloth he came with first.

"Got hustled by those boys again?" sighed Noah, unsurprised by the usual routine of the day.

"Come on, Noah. We agreed to this." groaned Donnie.

"Seriously, when are you going to admit that you're being targeted, dude? It's just not right."

"I'm fine, Noah. Trust me." Even with the boy's assurance, Donnie wasn't fooling anyone. They just didn't know what to do with his constant abuse from those 'big boys' and their everyday antics. Why was he so tolerant towards it? That was always a question that swam in their minds for their entire school days since he was first attacked. So far, any attempt to help him was always met with a neutral 'meh' from the boy, leaving him trapped within the bullies' sights.

"Well, it's glad to meet you both." said Sarah. "So… where do we begin?"

"I suppose we can get started with the classrooms." suggested Emma.

"Shouldn't we wait for Troy?" wondered Noah.

"Relax. I'm sure Troy will catch up when he finds us." Emma then walked with Sarah, leading the way through her new place of education. All the wonders and activities she would eventually be enthralled with, the studies she would finally excel in. "Come, Sarah. Let's take a tour." And so, the four teens left the auditorium and off to explore the school, beginning a new life for Sarah Lovett.

The group ventured through the campus, showing the new girl all the stops and sights to get her used to the surroundings. The school didn't seem that much different to any of her older schools, having the usual classrooms with the blackboards and neat arrangements of seats and desks. The labs were placed at the other side of the front part of the school.

After spending the entire tour through the school, Sarah was already well acquainted with the facilities and people of interest; teachers, student council members, club leaders and more. As Emma toured her through, the newcomer was starting to get a little more comfortable within the school, accompanied by good people so far. However, as she came to learn from previous schools, having that company was not enough. If she was to maintain her stance, she had to hope that trouble wasn't going to stop her this time. Two unlucky strokes with some bad eggs were just going to be minor nuisances, nothing big to mess with her today.

Then, the four students were at a hallway, flanked by lockers and doors, looking quite normal and empty other than them.

"And now, we should head on over to the chess club next." Emma suggested as she scanned through her schedule. "It should be just over here along this hallway." As they were about to continue, however, Sarah thought she needed to do something else before resuming.

"Uh, actually, guys. I wanna use the restroom. Where is the nearest one?"

"Oh, just take a left turn from here. Don't worry, we'll wait." After getting Emma's directions, Sarah left the group to head over to the restroom, alone to venture off on her own. She took her left turn from the hall, spotting the restroom to the next left turn. After heading into the room, she went to do her business, seemingly out of sight from the others, to her heart's content.

After doing what she needed to do, she went out of the toilet cubicle to wash her hands in the sink. From there, she looked herself in the mirror, getting ready to clean her hands up. She took out the glove, cringing at the thought of having to do this every now and then. She hoped that she would have to take it off without having everyone see what was beneath it.

Sarah held her wrist before she would take it off, peering her head behind her to see if anyone was watching her. When the coast was clear, she finally grabbed hold of the glove and took it off, revealing the unfortunate blemish that she was shy of showing to the rest of the outside world.

Her hand, waved freely after an hour of wearing that itchy glove, revealing the rough skin that was marred by multiple scratched patterns all around it. The hand was the victim of some sort of genetic mutation that completely distorted her skin like sand in the Sahara Desert. She rubbed the wrinkled patterns on the back of her palm, slightly pained in her heart with fear. As if trying to shake off people's curiosity over her glove wasn't bad enough, hiding the blemish itself was even more nerve-wrecking. It was never easy to keep it a secret from everyone around her before, but every time she would go out in the open, the fear of letting it slip was aggravating, afraid to be shunned upon by all people. It was a fear that presided inside of her ever since she was much younger, and it kept growing even as she reached her teenage years.

And the worst part was; nobody, not even the best doctors her mother could afford knew what it was that caused it… No one could tell what kind of defect it was; it just happened to grow when she was almost three with no accidents and no injuries. Everything seemed to be a happy life for Sarah and her mother, but nothing could ever explain the scars, nor could it provide her safety from the countless taunts she received from kindergarten, traumatizing her to this day. The unknown cause of the defect made it all the more crucial for her to hide it, causing a major shift in her secrecy. Unfortunately, it did not seem to help make her any more sociable to other people, fearful that they, too, would dread being around her for it.

Nevertheless, Sarah decided to let it all slide. Once she was done washing her hands, she would put the glove back and everything would be A-Okay. She did so, coming out of the bathroom with a clean pair of hands. She dried them with some tissue paper, wiping them up before putting back the glove, safely securing the scars away from public eyes. The door was slightly open, so she just pushed it open to leave the room.

 **SPLASH!**

But then, out of nowhere, she was drenched in complete watery coldness, splashed upon by some unknown force. When the splash was over, she could not shake off the shock of it all, suddenly soaked wet before hearing a loud metal clang on the floor. The next thing she knew it; she saw the whole floor around her wet with a metal bucket rolling along. What followed suit was a fit of manly laughter coming from her left, all gloating with glee at her miserable condition.

Wrought with anger and shock, she turned to see a group of teenage boys, all laughing at her. The one in the middle, especially, walked a bit to the front, grinning at Sarah with a smile of wicked joy, which taunted her. This blonde man, dressed in a basketball jersey that marked the number '86' on it, clenched his right fist, showing Sarah that he was going to keep on teasing her. His pale face, with eyes of navy blue, glared right into her own brown ones, shooting out like daggers that went straight for her heart.

"So, you're the new girl who gave my pals a beating?" he laughed. Sarah remained silent, irritated, but not willing to do anything, but listen to what this mongrel had for her. With a threatening glare, the boy gave her a warning that she would do well to forget. "You're in our turf, now! So, you better watch out!" And just like that, without anything else, the gang just walked off the other direction, continuing to cackle their way through the hall, throwing all sorts of insults at Sarah, leaving behind a distraught girl who had just been through yet another act of vile bullying.

As she looked down to let the drops of water drip off her hair, she continued to fathom how bad she was going to get it from now on…

It wasn't the act itself that made her timid with fear. She looked down at her glove, seeing that it had been soaked up by the water, almost threatening to slip off and reveal her scars. She was this close to giving them a reason to taunt her endlessly, to show the whole school how fallible she was because of that stupid blemish. But the fact she was victimized by these guys, and that she would continue to be targeted throughout the semester; she was going to face a very difficult challenge that was only going to pull her down, with or without her scars.

"Sarah!" Suddenly, spooking her still, she heard a shout coming from behind her. Looking behind, she saw Emma, Noah and Donnie, all shocked to see her all wet. They ran to her, hoping to find out what had happened while comforting her. "You okay?!"

The stiff teenager refused to say anything. While she was angry that some punks decided to mess with her, she was almost traumatized by the memories of those who made fun of her through the years, almost shunning people away in general as a result. She didn't want others to be involved in her pain, refusing to acknowledge their attempts to help.

"I'm fine." she silently said, almost without emotion. Her disgruntled face, still as obvious to them as the Sun of day. Donnie noticed how wet she was, seeing the metal bucket tipped down on the floor, immediately confirming his fears that the big bad boys of Jack Myers had just claimed its next victim.

"Your glove. Let me…"

"I said I'm fine." As he reached out to help her, Sarah just shot back at him, too ashamed to accept his aid and demanding that she'd be left alone. Not long after, Sarah soon took off in a hurry towards the exit, not looking back once. leaving everyone feeling very bad for her. They lingered their sights onto the upset teen, mixed feelings swirling deep within themselves.

"Gee, poor Sarah." sighed Donnie, defeated that he didn't get to help the girl on her first day at school.

"Rules are rules, Don." explained Noah as sympathetic as he could. "You go into jock territory, there's nothing savin' ya."

"Noah!" Emma nudged him hard on the waist, upset that her friend could make such a statement.

"What? We didn't see that bucket of water coming too. And besides, we start a fight, we'll end up in the principal's office." Either way, the deed was done and one new girl took the full blow of the humiliation. A fellow victim like Donnie knew what kind of pain she would go through on her first day of school. He saw how distraught she was after she got bucketed with water, understanding how painful it was to take the embarrassment and have her security snatched away from her like that.

Bummer, and she was such a cool girl to hang out with earlier…

"I gotta go, guys." Donnie waved to the two older teens before walking off to join Sarah, wherever she was going to recover from the shame. Emma and Noah stayed to watch the boy leave, contemplating on the sorry sight of them being ticked off by the acts of a bunch of ungrateful wimps.

"We were the defenders of the Earth." sighed Emma. "And we couldn't even stop a bunch of bullies from hurting Sarah." She felt a hand being placed on her shoulder, seeing it belonging to an equally sorry Noah.

"I'm sorry, Emma. I wish we could have done more." They continued to stare down the path the two teens left to, feeling lost that they could not protect or comfort them from the harmful habits of bullying. Evil forces were always such a force to be reckoned with, so a bunch of delinquents shouldn't have been much of a problem without the need to exert force. So, it was painful to have not stopped those boys from harming Sarah.

Suddenly, after the unfortunate disaster, the two heard a voice coming from behind them.

"What happened here?" They looked behind to find that another one of their best friends, Troy Burrows, arrived in the scene.

"Troy!" Noah moved over to give the team leader a high-five. "What's up?"

"Where've you been all day?" asked Emma. She then noticed his less-than-happy state of face, feeling a small disturbance in his presence. "You look bothered. You feelin' okay?"

"Nah." shrugged Troy dismissively. "Just a dream."

"What dream?" Noah asked, but Troy refused to say, not wanting to relive the horrible nightmare that befell his peaceful slumber. The hesitance on his face was brief and minor, but very spottable by his two loyal teammates.

"Come on, Troy. If you're having a dream and seem bothered by it, then you might wanna tell us." The former Red Ranger did not want to talk about it, despite his friends' insistence.

In the end, it was all too out of place…

What he saw in his nightmare was just too preposterous. A devastated city, his friends dead, and an evil entity rising above him? No, it couldn't be real. He and his team was already victorious against the mighty evil of Emperor Mavro. There was nothing else that could challenge the Power Rangers ever again, albeit with some other small cases. Then again, his previous dream of the Legendary War before was considered impossible, and yet, to Troy's amazement, it happened…

So, the fear of this nightmare coming true was there, that something chaotic and fatal like what he experienced in the dream time was possible.

No. He had to remain optimistic. The evil forces were not ever going to come to Earth and make things far worse than what was thought to be the greatest threat the whole universe had ever seen. They had already made it clear to everyone; no one was going to mess with the Power Rangers ever again. Apart from the incursion of some mere alien television show attacking nearby Summer Cove, nothing majorly destructive was going to happen. At least, that was what he hoped…

Besides, it would be very heart-breaking to recount the dream to the people he dreamt of, who were outright killed; dream or not. He was in no mood to make his friends feel all sick and frightened inside of themselves.

"It's nothing, guys, really." Emma and Noah nodded, finally understanding Troy's decision to ignore the nightmare. However, there was a small tinging feeling that there was still a terrible effect the dream caused, swinging madly inside of him.

Refusing to continue the discussion about his dream, Troy looked at the floor, seeing the wet puddle and the metal bucket close to the restroom. He didn't need to ask what happened; he already had a clear picture of the situation.

"Who was it this time?" he huffed out, disappointed that the school bullies were still out for blood.

"Oh, she was the new girl. You know, the one who we were supposed to accompany today." explained Emma. Troy nodded, remembering the appointment to tour her around the school.

"And she ended up with the water bucket …" added Noah. Troy shook his head with the clear desire to come face-to-face with the culprit of the 'usual bucket of water' trick. Just how much more could these losers do to make everyone's lives miserable in school? He wasn't sure if there was an end to these guys' antics, but he was fired up to defend the innocent, should they dare to make their move in front of him.

"That Jack… One of these days, I'll have to show him."

For once, his friends agreed on uniting against those boys. If there was one thing they could follow Troy on, it would be against those who were willing to hurt others for their own wicked pleasures; whether they'd be alien invaders from another planet, or a bunch of no-good school bullies. That was the charm of his leadership, emanating into their souls and charging alongside him like any loyal friend would.

Of course, they weren't going to fight the boys, but they would be sure to have something prepared for them if they ever strike again.

* * *

As Donnie left the school, he looked all around the front courtyard of the complex, seeking out the girl who had been targeted by the local bad boys. He didn't care if the school day wasn't done; he was more concerned about finding Sarah and making sure she was fine. After scanning the yard, he soon found her sitting in front of the school's front walls. Her head was down facing her knees, curled up into a ball of shame and despair, nearly silent throughout the whole day here.

Donnie stared at the sad scene of seeing her being humiliated on her first day at Harwood High, reminded that she had been through several schools before this. He had to wonder if this was the reason why she was constantly moving from here to there, looking for a more peaceful time to finally take the education she needed and make the friends she would need to stand with. He hesitated to move and talk to her, unsure if she had the courage to raise her head and speak to him after what might have happened to her. Eventually, however, he had to brave the odds, she needed someone who could stick by her when others before him couldn't. He understood her pain and wanted to make sure she didn't have to live on with it. With one deep breath, the boy stepped forward to find a way and soothe her agony.

"Hey, Sarah!" he called out to the lone girl. Sarah peered her head to see the boy walking towards her. She didn't have anything to say, still sour over the attack on her at the restroom. The fact that he almost had to see her hand before sent chills down her spine, throwing herself away from the support Donnie was willing to give.

"Oh. Hey, Donnie." she said half-heartedly before turning her head away.

"You okay?" Donnie asked.

"Yeah…" After the brief exchange of awkward glances, the two fell silent, not sure how to move on. An ocean of silence trapped them both as their minds swam helplessly to break the limbo. Donnie rubbed the back of his head while thinking of something to say, leaving Sarah devoid of her own words. It was a situation the two of them didn't know how to comprehend with.

"About those kids back there." Finally, Donnie broke the silence.

"It's fine, really!" Sarah threw her voice in a light groan, anger now as clear as the sky above them. "Just… leave me alone, please." After being cast aside, Donnie thought it was probably best if the girl was left alone and let her work her system out.

"Alright, alright. Don't want to trouble you." With his hands in his pockets, Donnie turned around to do as Sarah pleased for now.

Unbeknownst to him, the lone girl just watched him leave, regretting the sudden cry to chase him away from her. Once again, she had unwillingly shunned away someone who could actually care for her, someone who could remain by her side when her blemish would drive away most others, even if he didn't know what she had it. Overcome with more grief, she looked on towards the ground, away from Donnie and the school; the place she once thought she could make a new start, only to find out she was to face the hardships that followed her all the way from previous schools onwards.

If it was so easy to lose another friend like that, then what chance did she have here in Harwood High? Great. She completely blew it all up…

"Listen, Sarah…" Then, all of a sudden, Donnie's voice could be heard, surprising her. His voice came out as unassertive, unsure if he could talk it out with Sarah. She couldn't believe someone would come up to her after what she said to him, and yet, here he was, not wanting to leave. "If… uh… you need a friend to, you know, keep you close, you know where to find me."

"But Donnie…" Sarah was about to assure him she didn't want to hurt him even more, but then, she was in for a big surprise.

"No! You're not going to be left out from this any longer." Donnie's mood changed, powered with lividness. Sarah, taken aback by his sudden outburst, sat silently in shock, allowing Donnie to continue his defence. "I ain't going to sit around and let you face the abuse, because when I look at a girl like you, I can see trouble right from the start. I don't want you to feel like an outsider. You really don't deserve what they did to you. Nobody in this darn world should ever be a victim of some stupid act of pain!"

After Donnie let it all out, Sarah's silence remained, staring at Donnie like he had just unleashed a storm. Never had she heard such power coming from someone who actually had the heart to care, delivering so much passion that she could not know what else to say. Did he really just let his whole spirit shine, just to ensure that she would be accompanied?

Donnie certainly wanted to help; he had seen too much of this senseless targeting from the bullies in this school, and he wasn't going to let another one take the fall, especially since it was her first day. All those times he took the beatings himself, he refused to do anything, simply because he wanted to be the target. Why? Because no one had to go through what he did, so he had to take the bulk of the damage for others. That, more than anything, was all he could ask for to help someone.

Then, finally, after a terrible start to this school trip, from the period of self-doubt, Sarah smiled. She didn't utter anything, still touched by how much Donnie threw at her. Even the friends she still had from previous schools didn't go to the lengths he did to keep her company, and that was saying a lot… Giving Donnie a sorry grin, she, at last, spoke up.

"You're right. I'm sorry…"

"Look, you have people who care for you. Emma, Noah… Me." Donnie kept on talking, softer and more composed. "We'll look out for you. I'm sure of it. And besides, maybe I'll get to introduce you to Andy tomorrow! Sounds good?" The smile on Sarah's face widened, her anxiety somewhat faded away. Of all the people to do it, it was this guy who cheered her up.

"Glad to know someone decided to stick around." she laughed, back to the cheerful demeanour she showed Donnie before. Seeing that she was finally satisfied with his care, the boy proceeded to sit down beside her, eager to continue making her feel better. "Thanks, Don." Donnie rubbed the back of his head, flushing a bit after hearing her shorten his name.

"No biggie. What are friends for?" chuckled Donnie, earning a nudge on the shoulder from Sarah. Friends already, huh? Yeah, that will work.

"My past with most friends has been… mixed, to say the least." admitted Sarah. "But you're cool."

"Wanna tell me why?" asked Donnie. Sarah just uttered a small 'hmph', not really wanting to explain the whole story yet.

"Trust me. You don't wanna know." she said with the wave of her hand.

"Fine with me, I guess." Donnie shrugged his shoulders, content that Sarah was over the whole fiasco… for now. Now that her sorrows were gone, all there was left was a bit of justice. She did still have some plans to face the trash talking delinquent sooner or later, formulating all kinds of wicked schemes to get him and his cronies back.

"The next time I see that Jack guy, I'm gonna get even." She slammed her fist into her other palm, showing her determination. "With a bucket of water, of course."

"I'll bring the ice." added Donnie. "I know. I know. Not much of a fighter, but I'm willing to get back at Jack, of all people. He so owes me for those locker jams."

Just when the conversation was about to continue, a sudden vehicle drove into the scene, just in front of them. Sarah sighed, instantly recognizing the car that parked right by and spotting the driver inside.

"Oh, Mom's here." She stood up, hoping for a little bit more time to spend with her new friend, but she did have high hopes that the next day, no matter how depressing it could be, there was some people in the school to look for when she needed help. "Thanks for the company, Donnie."

"No problem." Donnie stood up as well, ready to return to school. He turned to bid Sarah farewell, hoping to see her the next day to get things started for her. Bullied or not, birds of a feather, flock together. "See you in class tomorrow?"

"Definitely." acknowledged Sarah with a sure smile before walking towards the car, feeling warm and relaxed, now that she had a friend to count on. After seeing Donnie walk away, she entered the car to face her mother's usual overprotective nature.

"Oh my gosh, Sarah! What happened to you?! You look like you took a big dip into Lake Superior!" exclaimed Mrs. Lovett with frantic worry. As always, Sarah tried to assure her mother that there was nothing to worry about without telling her what exactly happened.

"It was an accident in the girl's room, Mom. Nothing wrong, really." It didn't really feel good to lie to her mother, but the last thing she needed was to make her begin the appointments with the principal to shift her out again. But then again, she didn't need to go further when the middle-aged woman noticed the boy her daughter was talking to. The sight of her daughter making a new friend was enough to excite the mother who hoped that Sarah would find someone to socialize with.

"Oooh! My baby's made a new friend already!" She gave Sarah a choking bear hug that caught Sarah by utter surprise.

"Mom!" She struggled to let go of her mother's grip, embarrassed with flushing red cheeks. She relaxed on her chair after the tight embrace, feeling a bit glad. At least today didn't end in complete disaster. "Let's just get home. I'm beat."

As her mother started the car to head back home, Sarah pondered on what could happen the next day. If day one was about as terribly wrong for her, then what kind of shenanigans could she end up in next? Jack and his gang of punks would be out to get her again, sneaking behind her back when she would least expect it. And he was only one of the oddballs she had had the misfortune of meeting today…

On the other hand, she did have some people to stick with when things would get rough, especially one new friend she already kicked it off with. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad day to start, but it was going to be a challenge to go through once she was in. Classes, bullies, awkward friendships… She was going to go through all of it. She was going to make this school count, never to run away from her problems ever again.

" _Just for once, I wished something awesome happened in school… or just my life in general._ " she thought in her head.

* * *

Hexagon HQ,

New York City,

USA,

Earth,

Solar System,

It's been so long since the grand battle that was Operation Forever Red. The day when the first ten Red Rangers of modern-day Earth banded together to combat the remnants of an old enemy.

And now, here he was, speaking with one of those Rangers via an intergalactic call to his home planet of KO-35.

"Sorry, Tommy." sighed Andros, the former Red Space Ranger, brushing his pale, golden hair, overcome with stress from work. "With those signatures close to KO-35, I can't bear to leave the system." As far as Tommy knew, Andros had taken up a very important position as the new Defence Minister of KO-35, handling all matters regarding the protection of his home world and ensuring that its recovery since the invasion of Dark Specter's forces. Apparently, there was a whole lot of responsibility to take, forcing the Red Ranger to remain on his planet. "If it helps, I'll ask Ashley if she's interested. Or maybe Karonne?"

"No need, Andros." assured Tommy. "You and your family should have some time off."

"No can do." said Andros. "With tensions between Karbin and KO-35 at an all-time high, I'm needed to help the Council soften the divide." Tommy nodded in understanding, remembering that deteriorated relationship between KO-35 and its neighbouring world; another planet that suffered from the forces of evil. Even still, Andros still offered to keep a close eye on any nearby disturbances, just in case.

"Then I wish you the best, then." wished Tommy, about to end the call to tend to his own businesses in Hexagon. "Keep in touch in case those signatures get any closer to us."

"I'll keep a close eye on them. See you, Tommy." After the friendly conversation, the screen went off as Andros pushed the button, ending their call. With the situation seemingly secured, Tommy decided to resume his plans to forming his Ranger force to prepare for the incoming threats that were about to arrive.

He walked out of his office to head over to the control room. Once he reached the packed room that was full of staff members, managing their stations at the computer consoles, Tommy approached one of them; a woman with a headset over her auburn hair who was setting up some dials on her computer, watching lines of codes fill up the screen. She turned her head to see her boss, standing right beside her as she gave him a polite bow.

"Get me the Mercer residence." asked Tommy. At once, the officer tapped her fingers onto the keyboard, calling for the next Ranger to be added for the fight. As she finished typing in the given number, she waited for the line to connect, a voice to be heard at the other hand. Tommy anticipated the response from the young up-and-coming comic book writer, who still lived in the home of his adopted father and old-time friend of his. Maybe the old man himself might answer…

"Sir." the officer spoke, Tommy listened in, perhaps ready to hop into the chat. But when Tommy saw her face, he noticed something off with her. She looked uncertain, puzzled by a weird phenomenon, as if something was wrong. "I… can't seem to get anything."

"What do you mean?" pondered Tommy.

"The comms…" the officer explained, this time, stuttering. "I'm unable to reach the Mercer residence. The connection has been lost." She tried tapping into the other channels, seeing if Hexagon's links to other Rangers wasn't tampered with. Referring to a networking software, she could see the alarming signs of cut lines of red, severing themselves from each other.

Tommy's eyes widened. He didn't need to guess what was going on. The situation was as plain as the wrinkles of Rita Repulsa.

"I can't get a lock on any of your contacts, sir! It's like they're…"

"Jammed." His worries mounted. Tommy could feel it coming. He could feel **them** coming. He feared it would happen so soon, and right now, of all times, right when he was about to mobilize, the worst was about to come.

"Oh no…" At the speed of light, Tommy darted back out the room, leaving a stunned crew of officers to ponder about what was troubling him. The manager of the base ran out to the corridors, speeding his way through the rest of the equally confused personnel in the base, until he reached the two people he needed to see.

Wes and Eric were both just chatting about their usual business until they caught Tommy running towards them, noticing the panicked look on his face.

"Wes! Eric! Get the Guardians!" he exclaimed.

"Tommy?" The two Silver Guardians didn't know what to expect, but when Tommy was this disturbed about something, they knew they had to be involved. "What's wrong? Why the rush?"

"Just get ready to arm them and prepare for entry." There was no time to explain everything; all he wanted them to do was pack up and move out, quickly.

"For what?" demanded Eric. Now, Tommy had to be direct. He turned around, still rushed for action. If they really needed an answer form him, he was going to give it to them, in the most dramatic way possible…

It was about to come… The very thing he feared would arrive was already here, and he had t act quickly to get his playing cards out on the table, before it was too late…

"The enemy. They're here."

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**


	3. The War Begins

**Chapter 3: The War Begins...**

Orbit of Earth,

Solar System,

Andromeda Galaxy,

The invasion was about to begin…

As the X-Borgs were ready to attack Earth, they marched around one of the hangar bays of Empress Verinora's flagship, looking out at the open doors to see the target blue planet before them. All in a giant square formation, taking the entirety of the hangar floor, they crowded before the podium to hear their General speak.

General Arkanos was walking down the line of X-Borgs, all having their metal mace-like weapons carried to their chests. An army of soldiers amassed throughout the gigantic hangar bay, awaiting their deployment while their leader continued to survey the formation below them. Their weapons were caressed to their chests as they stood firmly and at attention before Arkanos delivered a few words to them.

Once the General spoke, they all took in what needed to be said before the quest to avenge the destruction of their Emperor; the one master who would bring them all glory and gold. The chance to dominate over the Power Rangers that was taken away from them, now possible once again, only with much more effort and power to accomplish.

Arkanos took in the desires of every X-Borg before him. Despite their cybernetics taking over their bodies, they still possessed the will to gain the glory of the Mavro Empire. Every planet they conquered, every system they dominated; all of that was for the grand promise for greatness and fulfilment in their rather miserable, violent lives as war-mongering soldiers. Their endless taste for destruction and war brought them here, where many of their fellow brethren, and their Emperor, were destroyed by the very enemy they were tasked to fight.

"Soldiers of the Empire!" yelled Arkanos, driven to inspire them with whatever emotions remained in their artificially-enhanced organs. "You have all been brought here to witness the rebirth of our glorious Emperor's mission. To see the end of the Power Rangers and the total conquest of their pitiful home!" At the first few sentences, the crowd cheered in anger, filled with the need to finish what they started.

"You have been brought here as the first of many to send a message to our enemies. The human race that had denied us of our Emperor will pay severely for their crimes and will be subjugated to our might!"

Another flurry of shots and cries filled the room, echoing through all the way. X-Borgs and Bruisers alike, shouting out their thrills of finally exacting their revenge against their enemy. The collective cheers of the army fuelling Arkanos' desire to ravel in the glory as their General.

"For far too long, we have been forced in the darkest corners of the universe, hiding from the dreaded light of the Energy Wave that devastated us when we were at our most powerful!" The soldiers all bellowed with vengeance, forced to remember the many brothers they lost so many years ago due to the combined forces of the Power Rangers and the utter failures of the United Alliance of Evil. "And then, when we were on our way tor reclaim our rightful glory, those wretched Rangers dared to destroy our Armada and our very Emperor!" The roars of retribution and violence spread through the room, with a vicious atmosphere of rage burning up the hangar.

"But we have returned! With our Empress leading us to battle, we shall incite our vengeance upon the Rangers and bring their world down to our knees!" Arkanos raised his arm high up, showing his bravado to inspire the men to prepare for the fight. "With the Power Rangers' defeat, we shall conquer the universe and bring order to the Mavro Empire!"

"They shall fall, one-by-one! We will be victorious!" And with the last of the speech, Arkanos finally brought the whole hangar to cries of victory and battle, promised with the total destruction of the Power Rangers.

With their forces rallied and ready, Arkanos prepared the troops to move out and be boarded into their frigates to be transported down onto the planet for another all-out assault. They marched onwards, storming their way to battle and be deployed to the dirt ball below.

Arkanos finished up with his speech and walked back down to join his other two Generals, who stood by listening into the rather typical speech. It was always typical to hear Arkanos take pride and 'inspire' his men. For Jestino, he always envisioned himself up on that podium, seeping in all the glory of having the men listen to his grand performance. Kalach, on the other hand, just stood idly, not bothered to address the troops of his leadership. As long as they did their job and got out of his way, he was, at the least, convinced he would have his fun.

"And so it begins, my comrades!" gloated Arkanos with his arms out, feeling sure that he would bring a big win for the Empire.

* * *

Earth,

Solar System,

Andromeda Galaxy,

Driving to the scene of action was always going to be a ride that drove a sense of alert for the Silver Guardians. Whether it was the common criminal activity or the more unusual threat of extra-terrestrial proportions, no one was sure what to expect from their next encounter. Would there be another firefight between two sides or could there be a major chase? Was there going to be a casualty or would they come out unshaved? Who knew what kind of trouble was stirring up on the other side of the conflict?

Now, however, things were different now. Wes and Eric were well aware of what was going to happen, and it was going to be one of the most difficult assignments they would ever have.

"How much further, Eric?" asked Wes in distress, sweat dribbling down his already irritated skin. But if he was already pressured by the sudden alert, then he hadn't realized how bad it was for the man next to him.

"Just ten minutes away, Wes." groaned Eric. "We're all driving as fast as we can." Just as he was about to rest his head, all of a sudden, he turned the wheel so hard that the car nearly threw itself to the side, avoiding a passing car in the way and spooking Wes as he hung tight. "Get the heck out of the way!"

Wes breathed in after the sudden turn, collecting himself before turning to his old friend, patting him on the shoulder to comfort him. To be fair, the sudden news of the alien invasion did catch everyone off guard, forcing them into entrapped situations that left them without a solid plan as to how to combat the incoming threat. Understanding the frustration in Eric's voice, he had to be the one to console him. A leader knew how to be there for his or her teammates, and Wes was all in on making sure Eric was calm; at least enough before the eventual attack. Only then would the invasion be brought upon them and put them to the test. Such an emergency reminded them of the previous attacks by the Armada, when the Guardians would respond to the never-ending waves of fighters and X-Borgs raining down on the cities they could protect, how everyone armed themselves with the strongest of weaponry to repel the intruders.

"We'll get there, Eric." assured Wes. "We will help everyone out."

"I just hope it's not too late." Eric shook his head, feeling a little relaxed but still bent on serving his duty. Satisfied, Wes picked up his phone, trying to dial in the same number desperately.

"Still can't get to Gia." he reported. He'd always relied on the communicative connection between Tommy, himself and a select number of other Rangers to ensure that the world was secured and at peace, their line of contact being the very tool needed to summon everyone together and would eventually be used as Hexagon's main switch for Tommy's own plans to beat the new threats. Without it, they were left divided and unable to unite against the incoming enemy.

"So how are we gonna contact Tommy when we need him?" asked Eric. Wes honestly didn't know how to respond, but he had to leave it to hope that things would get better from here.

"Let's just pray we don't have to."

* * *

Harwood High,

Earth,

Andromeda Galaxy,

The locker door opened, revealing the stacks of books left neatly arranged for Donnie to pick a few that he needed for the next class. All the while, his face had the incriminating signs of boredom, a mild frown and slightly furrowed brows, not because he had one long class he had to attend, but from the constant chattering of a certain someone next to him.

After shutting the door of his locker, he couldn't turn his head to face his best friend who was telling his newest endeavour in romance without end. The boy, Andy Marcus, was pretty much the ladies-man of the school, constantly going around the campus, asking girls out to join him for some special time together. Of course, most of his advances didn't last long, not even reaching the point of actual dating, which made it all the less surprising with each passing announcement.

"So, she was like all wowed in her eyes, and immediately came to ask me to be my lab partner." gloated Andy, leaning against his locker. "I knew the girl had it for me." It was hard to admit it, but Donnie knew he did have that charming appeal that some of the girls in school found attractive. The only problem? He was using too much of that appeal.

His choice of attire said it all; a black cotton jacket and beige khakis that covered the top of his black sneakers. He had a red cap on his head, worn the other way around as the flap was bending down at the back of his head, leaving a few strands of his hair to poke out of the opening at the rear.

"That's great, Andy. Really great." Donnie sighed, almost feeling like he wished for Andy to cease his little story.

"So, uh, what are you going to do? Who do you think will be your lab partner?" asked Andy, finally snapping back to being more normal to Donnie's taste.

"Well, I'm in luck." Donnie announced with a little more enthusiasm. "I did manage to find a lab partner to replace you."

"But will he replace me for being your best friend?" Andy countered with the snap of his fingers. It was good that Donnie did find someone to work with, but at the same time, he was worried that the partner his friend chose would be that willing to cooperate with him.

"First of all, no one can replace you, dude." Donnie assured with a knowing voice. "And second, my partner is a **she**." That got Andy's attention, leaning more against his locker with intrigue, his expression did not go unnoticed by the younger boy. He wasn't surprised that Andy would be excited about anything to do with girls, so the fact that he had one as a partner too gave him a reason to be interested.

"Ah. So, you managed to wow a lady for yourself, huh?" teased the boy.

"Andy, there's no 'wowing' anyone for me. Especially when grades are on the line." groaned Donnie,

"Dude. You? Worried about grades? Hardly! You're like an ace in science. Second only to Tracey Styles, that is." A chill ran up Donnie's spine at the mention of the other genius in the class, sparking some form of disgust. He couldn't stand to think about the 'perfect' class president who always vied for the achievements for the purpose of fuelling her ego. He wasn't so surprised that not many really cared about her image, just the other self-centred girls who'd accompany her around.

"I bet Tracey just gets her grades from reading her books." said Donnie. "Me? I experiment. I find out what works and what doesn't, by doing the actual stuff."

Just as the boys were about to go on, Donnie noticed the arrival of another friend into the conversation. A warmer smile formed as he recognized the bright image of the school's newest student, walking towards the two. Andy took a quick look at the girl as she stopped in front of Donnie to greet him.

"Hey, Sarah." greeted Donnie.

"Hi, Donnie." Sarah waved her hand, with a stack of books embraced in her other arm. She perked her head over her new friend to see the other boy. "And who's this?" As Donnie expected, Andy just took the opportunity to get closer to Sarah, shifting past him as he went over to shake her hand.

"Andy's my name, gal. Don't wear it out." Sarah gladly returned the gesture, but Donnie rolled his eyes with less amusement.

"Here we go again." he sighed.

"So, you're Andy?" said Sarah, before she made a snarky grin to joke around. "The guy who basically dumped Donnie for another girl."

"Can't help it if the ladies fall over heels for me." Sarah blew the front bangs of her hair, pitying Andy for being such a hopeless romantic. "Say, uh, if you don't mind, how about you and I hang out for lunch today?" Once again, Andy was being the charmer, asking her something that was totally out of the blue, to get much closer. Needless to say, Sarah was, while not totally creeped out, not impressed.

"I'm sorry. I thought you were hooked with someone else." she deadpanned.

"Well, it won't hurt if we went out as a bunch of good friends, right?" Andy shrugged his shoulders, not really bothered by the refusal and insistent on hanging out with Sarah. But as he was about to find out, she was not just someone to just brush off people she did not want to mess around with.

"Sorry, Andy. But that's not going to slide well with your partner. I can't be in the way, can I?" chuckled Sarah. Donnie was certainly amazed how Sarah was able to put the smart-mouth romantic in his place. Very few girls in school were able to have the spunk and patience to defy his moves, including, of course, Tracy Styles. And to baffle him further, Andy just held up his hands, accepting his mistakes with a few nods of his head.

"You're right, you're right. That will be bad." With the awkward talk over, the three were now ready to move on and become real friends together, as Donnie so decided to try and make their united friendship possible.

"Well, unnecessary flirtations aside, we should go for lunch together." suggested Donnie. "We'll get to know each other better as a trio of good buddies, banding together to face the trials of school life!"

"Wow. That's super cheesy, even for you, Don." deadpanned Andy.

"Well, I don't mind making another friend. That is, if you're not too busy having the ladies swoon over you." suggested Sarah.

"No worries. I can make time for my friends." assured Andy, sounding more like the normal person he'd be when he wasn't being charming. "I'm not that big of a flirt."

"Anyway, Donnie and I are going to sit ourselves at our desk. It was nice meeting you, though." After the brief introductions, Sarah began to move into the classroom, waving at Andy a farewell.

"Same here, Sarah." Andy called back. Meanwhile, Donnie was about to follow Sarah into the room, when Andy stopped him, going back to the usual romantic tone. "Man, she's one heck of a girl. You found yourself a nice catch, Don." Donnie mockingly cleared his throat, at least dismissing what he thought Andy was thinking.

"Sarah's just a new girl who needs a friend. Especially what happened between her and Jack." His face cringed at the mention of the local bully, remembering the less-than-stellar prank the punks pulled on Sarah the other day.

"Oooh. Yeah, I can imagine how bad that might have been." After gathering their belongings for class, the two boys proceeded to enter the class and begin their day, with Sarah starting a brand new day at school, hopefully without any intrusions.

* * *

"Look! All I'm saying is; we got to find the time to, you know, go out." Gia's face cringed with annoyance over the constant bickering from her boyfriend. Walking along the crowded hallway, the two were discussing about going on a date (well, Jake was). The intelligent ace of the school was having her patience tested by Jake's attempts to socialize with her.

"But we've done that like, yesterday…" groaned Gia, tone slowly getting gentler. She couldn't really blame him for trying, but this was getting too much for her. "Jake. I get you want us to do stuff together as much as we can. But that definitely doesn't mean every single day." Indeed, the first time they met, Gia was already creeped out by the way the boy tried to flirt with her. Jake was such an amateur when it came to vying for her affections, always resulting to the most cliché ways to approach her.

All it took, however, was to see Jake for who he really was. Deep beneath that hopeless romantic was a hero who truly cared for the friends around him. If he wasn't being so enticed in love advances, he was a true friend, selfless and brave to the end. And that was the core that Gia managed to find to accept him as a loyal companion. It took more battles for Jake to prove himself to his team and, finally, help her see the better of him.

Especially in one moment that Gia truly treasured that made her see it in him, during one particular battle when Jake pushed himself at front to save her life. That was the moment when she felt that he was worth embracing.

"We'll see, alright?" she sighed, promising Jake that they would find time. "We have to get ready for class. And this time, **you're** finishing up your homework."

"Fine." Jake added his own sigh, disappointed that it wasn't a firm 'yes'. He rubbed the back of his short hair, now feeling guilty that he was pushing it too far with the requests. "I'm sorry I… uh… You know…"

Thankfully, Gia smiled. At least Jake had learned not to be a creep. Touched by his apology, she rewarded him with a light peck on the cheek, instantly cheering the boy up.

"Just finish up with class and we'll talk about it, alright?" she said heartily. With the brief discussion done, the two seniors entered into the classroom, beginning their own classes of the day.

Upon entering, they separated to join their other friends; Jake with Noah, and Gia with Emma. Both friends were sat on separate ends of the arrangement of tables before the couple entered, now joined by their respective friends.

Gia placed her books and stationery onto her desk, seating herself down to prepare for the day ahead. Right next to her, eyeing her from the left, Emma was in the mood to poke a little fun at her best friend for a while. A wide grin was all Gia could see when she greeted her friend, expecting some more fun talk.

"So, what are you two planning for the day?" asked Emma, too interested for Gia's liking.

"For once, I would like a normal day, just to myself." sighed Gia, sorting out the book she was to use in the upcoming class.

"Someone's not in a good mood." quirked Emma.

"Not that, Em. I'm just… wanting to have some lone time for a change."

"Come on. I thought you and Jake were already a thing." said Emma, confused.

"We are." assured Gia. "It's just that he needs to control how much he wants us to go out." Emma couldn't fault her for pressuring for some lone time. Perhaps, Jake was being a little too clingy to his relationship with Gia. Of course, she was still happy that he was able to prove to the team that he was far from the creepy romantic when they first became a team, but Gia definitely could use a break.

In the meantime, the fifth member of the friendship circle had arrived into the class, earning high-fives from all four of the group. Troy got up relatively late today, as evidenced by the unusually late time of arrival to class. He would usually be meeting up with the others before the bell rang, exchanging casual talk to pass the time.

Today, however, to the minor interest of his friends, he was right on time… seconds before the class finally began. Not to say it was a bad thing, of course, but it was a notable change.

He sat himself down and prepared his books and pens. At the front of the classroom, the friendly face of Mr. Burley graced the students, tending to his own seat before giving them their first class of the day. It would be for an hour and a half before it would end, silencing everyone to the will of the teacher. All the while, Troy was quietly being attentive to the lessons learned from the class, taking in notes and asking the usual questions when need be.

However, in the meantime, he couldn't help but feel rather… empty. Troy was now in a new life as a normal kid again, without having to worry about the evil forces that threatened the Earth two years ago. Now that everything was at peace again, the world should be safe from harm and they could all go back to being regular kids again. And yet, no matter the peace, he couldn't help but find the day to be incomplete, as if something was missing from his old days.

He couldn't wrap his head around it, but there was an ominous feeling about the endgame that just didn't bode well for the former Red Ranger. Like there was something beyond even Mavro himself that was hiding out there, waiting for the time to strike.

Could it be the dream he had two nights ago? Did it have something to do with his suspicious feelings of the peace ahead? It was all starting to feel a bit too uneasy for Troy, wondering if something was developing towards that feeling.

In the end, he dismissed it as the usual nightmare; nothing more, nothing less.

Still, there was another mysterious issue that was giving him another weird vibe. It had to do with Sarah, the new girl he heard had the misfortune of being dumped with cold water on her first day. He couldn't help but feel something familiar about her, like she had something connected to his worries about a growing presence somewhere. Just why was she giving off that vibe, even if he hadn't met the girl herself?

It was always as Gosei told him; there are many wonders out there that cannot be explained…

* * *

Elsewhere, that very girl was busy tending to the large table with her new friend. With a sink in front and a few science apparatuses set up on both sides, she placed her books and seated herself down next to the boy, both getting ready to get their first days of partnership up for the road.

Her books stood shifted in the stack, with her pencil case placed right on top as she sorted out the equipment that was unceremoniously left untidied for her and Donnie to clean. Once she was done, they sat idly, waiting for the teacher to come right in and begin their class.

Sarah scanned the room of new classmates she was going to share. She had to wonder if many of them, if not, all of them had heard what happened to her the day before, being dunked with cold water by three smug boys in a hallway. There was a small bit of intrigue and curiosity from some of the students, who took notice of her, either from her being a new girl, or that the stories of her incident had gotten out really quickly.

Then, just as she was about done looking around, three unwelcomed boys had entered the room, babbling about something, unaware of her presence. The big boy of the bunch that was Jack, along with his posse, had graced the stage, putting up that same obnoxious show of bravado and superiority among the class. When they looked around, they soon spotted their previous target at the other end of the room.

"Looks like the bucket head's in the same class as us, guys." declared Jack, loudly, causing the whole class to eye the girl of the hour. Sarah rolled her eyes in disgust, not even willing to be embarrassed over the shout-out. The boys continued to cackle at her, pointing their fingers and watching darkly at her. The other students just stared with very inquisitive looks, wondering if she had fallen victim to another one of Jack's pranks.

Sarah ignored the gazes and the bullies, looking away with her head up high while Donnie did nothing as well. Unfortunately, the boys were unfazed as they moved closer to Sarah, willing to show their dominance over the school grounds. She couldn't believe such a bunch of spoiled brats were allowed into the school, running around making a mess of things, wishing the teachers had better ideas to discipline such annoying punks in the building.

While she tried to remain persistent, Jack decided to play it up another level by going to her side and lean his arms against her table, bending forward with a wicked smirk.

"What's wrong, Sarah?" he teased. "Still soaked in your head? You still not salty about our little welcome gift, are you?" After reaching a nerve, Sarah finally decided to give Jack an idea of who he was really dealing with, on a calm and civil level to avoid another blowout. Breathing in, she put up a straight face and stared right back, surprising the head honcho of the trio.

"The only one with a bit of water in the head, Jack, is you." she shot back, coldly, earning the sudden shock of the class, especially Jack. The surprise didn't last long for the boy as he chuckled it out.

"Oh, so she finally speaks!" Jack then crossed his arms, still bent on teaching Sarah a lesson. "Just so you know, girly, you're still in our turf, so don't get too comfortable." His warning soon reached to Donnie, who was feeling rather awkward about the encounter, not wanting to do anything else. "That goes for you too, Donnie-boy."

At that point, Sarah had had enough, now standing up to Jack's level, eyes now livid. She was out of patience, no longer able to take another second of his foolish ordeal. The class wooed and gasped in awe as two hot-headed minds clashed, actually hoping for a faceoff to explode.

"Listen, Jack." Sarah warned with venom. "I don't care what you do to me, or my friend. But if you think you're going to mess with me on my first day of school, then you will feel your spleen sooner or later." The class erupts in a frenzy of excited cheers over the warning, almost prompting them for a fight.

"Oh yeah? And what are you going to do about it?" Jack fought back, inching his face closer to the new girl. The two glared at each other, forming a new link of animosity between them. With two opposing forces vying for a spot of power against one another, there was going to be much battling between them; that much Sarah feared. If this was how she was going to stand up to people like Jack, then it was time to load up and defend herself and the people around her.

"Alright, class. Settle down." Fortunately, the fire had been put out by the arrival of the class teacher. The white-haired elderly man, complete with the pair of glasses that just became too common amongst such intelligent educators, albeit with a voice that constituted the might of a dictator; strong and oppressive enough to have the entire class sit without opposition. "Any attempt to disrupt my reign of control in this room will have their backsides to the principal's office." At once, the whole class was silent, leaving everyone to get back to business. Satisfied, the teacher picked up his notebook and began his part. "Well, now that we're all civilized, let us begin the Biology class."

Before he could turn around, he remembered the slight change in the room, peering over to the newest addition to the class.

"First things first; I believe we have a new student in our class today." he announced, not knowing that the girl had already caused a scene for them to witness. "Ms. Lovett, yes? Will you please rise and introduce yourself?"

Sarah delightfully stood up to formally welcome herself to the guises of her fellow classmates. And perhaps she would have started it off well, if it weren't for the scrunched up piece of paper darted at the back of her head…

After being hit, Sarah turned her head viciously at the smirking brats at the other table, gazing especially at Jack, who had no shame in revealing that he was the one who threw the paper. She growled under her breath, waiting to see what else she could do to remind the boys that she was not going to be intimidated.

No doubt the class knew there was someone the trio could mess with, but as Sarah turned back to the teacher, he only gave her a less-than-amused face, seemingly unaware of the boys' antics.

All Sarah could do to respond was a sheepish laugh and a very awkward way to begin her first day. Unbeknownst to her, however, another bad egg was watching the whole debacle, gleeful as the boys were at her misery. The perfect student by the name of Tracy Styles was all too willing to show her satisfaction over the shame Sarah was going through, sure that her status wasn't threatened by the seemingly smug performance of the new girl.

"Poor thing. Oh well. Too bad, right girls?" The other girls around her snickered under their breath, enjoying the show just as much.

* * *

An hour had passed, filled with the basics of her first lesson and the constant bothering of the three boys behind her. Sarah had endured all the annoyance she could take before, finally, as the bell rang, she could head to her locker and vent out her frustration.

She had to give herself the benefit of the doubt; she felt she wouldn't last ten minutes being messed with, much less having the whole class stare at the hostile situation between the two tables.

Thankfully, no one seemed to be having any thoughts about adding fuel to the fire between Sarah and Jack, even as class ended; not as long as Professor Malcolm was around to ensure order was established.

At her locker, Sarah could finally groan. She ignored the taunts by Jack and his friends as they left the room soon after. Left alone, at peace, she finally cooled off, resting her head against the locker to drain out her temperamental stress.

"Wow. On the first day, too…" commented Donnie, who stood by her side throughout the whole class, taking some of the load of insults Jack threw at them.

"How did I do?" Sarah sighed, taking her head out of the locker while giving her glove-covered hand a rub, nervousness swimming around it to an itch.

"A lot of Jack's victims made the same reactions as you did." told Donnie, sounding like some veteran of a war. "Not many of them live to tell the tale…"

"Well, I guess that's how things are going to be from now on." Sarah accepted things the way they were, not willing to give up her time in this school, unlike what she did in the previous ones. She was here to stay and persist until graduation, and no bully was going to bring her down to failure. Donnie then rubbed the back of his head, suggesting something to ease their minds once they would finish the day.

"Wanna go to the beach and cool off?" he asked. Sarah made a confused face at him.

"But it's cold outside." she cleared.

"Yeah, but it can't hurt to get some fresh air, can it?" When Donnie put it the way he did, Sarah did feel she could use some R&R after the first day of taking notes and insults. Besides, it could be a good way to explore Harwood County while she was out from home. Seeing the sights wouldn't be such a bad idea, after all.

"Is Andy coming with us?" she added.

"Nah. I'm sure he's over there, boasting about his charms to Minnie." dismissed Donnie. Now that the two of them were going alone, she was satisfied with having some lone time with a new friend for a change.

"Okay. After school, let's head out."

* * *

The winds blew upon the beach, triggering the waves to swim at a slightly more vigorous rate, washing up more sand with each passing wave. The clouds were slowly greying, indicating an incoming downpour that was looming towards Harwood County to shower the area. Overlooking the ocean was the tall cliff that speared towards the sky, hiding beneath it a secret that only few know of. The cave that protected this secret continued to let the sea's breeze brush right in without exposing the real truths within it.

Two such people were on their way to reach those truths. Arriving on a red SUV, the two adults exited the vehicle and stepped onto the sandy beach, their gazes fixed on the cliff they needed to go to. Tommy and Katherine watched the beach around them, on the lookout for the eventual signs of trouble. They had to remain vigilant, focusing their attention on the current situation at hand. With a pending threat coming, it was only a matter of time before the guns started firing. They walked towards the nearby cave, seeing that the area had been untainted by any threats from above.

"This is it." Tommy uttered with relief, satisfied that the location of Gosei hadn't been tampered with by enemy attack.

"We have to hurry." Katherine urged. It wouldn't be long before the incoming forces approached them, so they had to warn the great student of Zordon as soon as possible.

"Come on, Kat." They proceeded to move on and reach the Command Centre, warn Gosei and achieve the next phase of Tommy's mission to bring back the one force who could stop the incoming darkness.

Then, Katherine stopped, hearing something ominous in the air. Sounding like a jet zooming across the sky, she looked up the sky, scanning up and around for what was making that threatening noise. From the blackening storm clouds, the booming uproar got louder and louder, threatening to get close. Then, once she saw what was going on, she spurred to alert.

"Look out!" Tommy spun around, also having heard the noise and looked up in the sky. The sight of the object that alarmed them quickly came down, heading right for the man. Tommy jumped out of the way, crashing into the soft sand, just before a trio of unidentified flying objects zoomed over him and went towards the cave. While he dropped down, Tommy kept his head down for a few seconds, waiting for whatever harm was about to come.

By the time he raised his head, while Katherine came to aid him, he saw the catalyscsm that was happening before him.

"No…" All at once, swarms of the same alien fighters rained down from the skies, surrounding the cliff dominantly like vultures around a corpse. Tommy recognized the designs of these alien craft, remembering the flat-shaped hulls with their clawed edges that once terrorized the Earth years ago. It was at this moment that he dreaded to realize that the invasion had just begun, coming too late to initiate the next phase of his plan.

The worst was about to come…

"We have to hurry!" Tommy and Katherine picked up the pace and ran towards the Command Centre, right before the guns started firing, lasers storming the cliff above in an attempt to cave the base in. It was a bombardment that, Tommy feared, would shake the entire county into a state of paranoia. Surely, many could bear witness to the attack from afar, even if the place was far secluded from the public.

There was no time to worry about the outside perimeter; Gosei was being attacked and Tommy and Katherine had to hurry in order to save him and Tensou, the little robot assistant who was sure to be by the mentor's side.

Quickly, they ran as hard as they could, not so worried about the fighters above. At any moment, one could spot the two former Rangers running towards the cave, change its course, and rain down fire upon them. One did, it swerved away from its attack on the cliff and headed straight for the two humans down below.

Tommy and Katherine spotted the threat and ran off, separating from each other just before the fighter launched a salvo of energy blasts that blew up the sand beneath them. Barely avoiding the danger, they did not stop, standing back up and hurried on straight for the cave.

The memories ran through them like an old war story, remembering how they used to face Quadrafighters from the Machine Empire almost two decades ago. But back then, they were already in their Ranger forms. Today, they were completely powerless, fully exposed to any physical threat. Nevertheless, they ran on, dodging another strafing run and continued straight.

Finally, after failing to stop them, the fighter then made one last run, swooping down to the ground, right in front of the Rangers. They stopped to see the fighter, hovering over them and then transforming itself into a humanoid being. The new blue soldier now stood in their way, with its gigantic tubular arms now charging up to fire a new set of plasma blasts at them.

The Bruiser fired on them, forcing them to jump to the sides. Having lost a bit of their energy from their previous run, they couldn't help but feel a little slower than before, taking about a few extra seconds to get back up and run to fight the Bruiser.

The couple were within striking distance to the Bruiser, swinging their fists at the enemy. Despite its larger size, they relied on their agility to overcome its slower movements. It swung its arms around to catch the Rangers, but they were too fast to score any direct hits as they continued to harass its balance by hitting it repeatedly. Soon, Tommy launched his flurry of attacks, punching the Bruiser from left to right. When it tried to snatch him from his streak, the man grabbed the large cannon arm and threw it off him in a judo toss, crashing the brute down on the ground.

Once done, he and Katherine left the monster motionless on the ground and resumed their run. But as they closed in, trouble was only just getting started. Immediately, a squad of X-Borgs warped in front of them, blocking them from passing through to the Command Centre.

Faced with dangerous odds, Tommy and Katherine were forced to remain strong against force of ten X-Borgs, knowing that they had no choice but to fight their way through.

Charging forward, the X-Borgs showed no mercy when fighting the two humans. mobbing up around them to attack. Tommy and Katherine found themselves almost overwhelmed as the robotic warriors corralled around them, already making use of their limbs to counter back. The X-Borgs' coordination was almost non-existent. like a squad of Putties, but with modified clubs instead of armoured fists.

Tommy demonstrated a flurry of martial arts moves Katherine could only dream of having. The offensive power of his body shifting ever so wildly with each punch. He grabbed the fist of one X-Borg before tossing it over to another, and only a second later, he kicked two more with a spin of his body. Another second passed when another X-Borg tried to clobber him down, but the man saw what was coming and jumped out of the way, spinning around the attacker until he was right behind. Before it was able to find him, Tommy quickly punched the goon in the face, sending it crashing into the sand. All of this followed with his trademark fighting cries, emanating a will of power that the great Tommy Oliver could muster, even without any one of his powers.

Despite his superior fighting style, Katherine was just as formidable on her own. Perhaps, if Tommy knew any better, her own style was more graceful than his; her former life in gymnastics almost doing wonders to influence her fighting. Her legs danced to the beat of her kicks, while sliding her body around the X-Borgs. She braced for two clubs to come down on her head, crossing her arms together to catch the both before she threw them off and gave the X-Borgs two punches.

The two Rangers battled the X-Borgs on, beating them down with a few more hits and swings of their fists and legs. After a few more beatings, they managed to defeat their foes, leaving the path clear once again to head to the cave and help Gosei. They both ran off towards the Command Centre, watching the fighters continue to bombard the cliff with their lasers. Time was of the essence; at any moment, their attack would be able to break the entire cliff and cause the cave inside to collapse, trapping Gosei and any chance Tommy had to counter this resurgence of a threat.

While Tommy was indeed prepared for moments like this, Katherine was still trying to process everything that was happening. She understood her husband's conviction against threats beyond anyone's understanding, but she never knew it would come from an enemy they once thought were defeated.

No matter the case, it was all very clear that the arrival of these X-Borgs and Bruisers were a sign that Tommy feared all along.

Their Emperor Mavro may had fallen, but the very force that joined him in his destruction was only the Armada. That simply left the question…

How long would it be before the rest of his empire came by?

While Tommy and Katherine continued their run, they were suddenly stopped when a powerful beam of light struck down on the ground in front of them, wide enough to clear a large patch of sand and sending them flying back from the impact. The force of the blast was harmless, but being thrown off their feet gave them a hard landing on their backsides.

When they recovered, they quickly saw the beam disappear; in its place, a figure emerged, standing tall and proud over the fallen humans. The alien had a fan in hand, flapping it to his face as he walked towards the two with a group of X-Borgs right behind him. He chuckled coldly at them as he approached, looking down on the two humans he was supposed to antagonize.

Jestino graced the stage, witnessing his first appearance on Earth by the sight of Tommy and Katherine sprawled to the floor. He huffed in disgust, pitied by seeing these two humans, future subjects to the Mavro Empire, lying disrespectfully on the ground. Then, he pointed his fan at the human male that was still trying to get up, laughing insultingly at him, and fully aware of who he was dealing with.

"Tommy Oliver!" bellowed Jestino, gloating over the fallen 'heroes' he was briefed about. "At last we meet!" Tommy, still feeling the shaking in his head, looked at the figure above him, witnessing the first of many enemies to come. Jestino continued to mock the Ranger down on the ground, fanning himself further. "I must say; it should have been an honour to fight someone so renowned, such as yourself. But frankly, you're not even fit to shine our boots!"

Tommy took his time to regain his strength before speaking to the General, wanting to assess the threat by his personality. At least he could get a better idea of who he was dealing with, should he survive this first encounter. Gritting his teeth, taking in the nausea caused by the blast, he let Jestino know that he was not to falter under such threats, never mind the physical appearance of this clownish enemy.

"Ergh…" he grunted in pain. "You… You're…"

"Still shaken? Oh! That's fine!" Jestino laughed. Then, his gaze turned bloodthirsty, smile creeping much more menacingly as he pointed his fan at Tommy and cackled. "You'll all be destroyed the same way!"

Tommy's stare lingered on. All around him, right behind the General, he was forced to watch helplessly as the Command Centre was being bombarded by the fighters that rained down their plasma fire onto the cliff, threatening to cave down the base and his only hope of restoring the fighting force that could counter the threat of this imperial crisis.

The war was about to begin again…

* * *

School was over in the next few hours. Since then, Donnie had lived up to the promise and took his new friend and lab partner out from Harwood High out for a walk to freshen up from the unfortunate time in her first class. After being pelted with scrunched up paper balls, the new girl needed the time to let loose her resentment for the brats in class and cool off.

When the bells rang, the two immediately packed up and left the building. off to enjoy a nice, cool walk through the county. With Donnie's knowledge of the who's and where's in this town, he would be sure to treat Sarah to the good places and have her acquainted to the folk of the town; at least, those who wouldn't cause any trouble.

The two walked out to the outskirts of the town, marked by a few suburban homes and a local bistro, where the road leaving the county would lead to the woods, right close to the beach where they intended to go. A small patch of beach that was deemed too small and too secluded to be made a popular beach attraction, as Donnie told Sarah.

They were passing the bistro to walk out of town and cool their heads off. Sarah felt the cold breeze brush through her clothes, slightly freezing her left hand as it wasn't protected by a glove like her right hand was. She was clad in a blue coat, with a woolly hat to cover her further from the cold. Donnie was dressed in a brown jacket and tan cargo pants, walking alongside her to show her the way.

"Sheesh, I didn't think it was this cold." Sarah said with shivering skin, after a breeze blew through her face. "You sure it's a good idea to go out in weather like this?" Good thing she called her mom to tell her that she was taking a walk with her new friend. The usual happy cries of excitement from her mother, Sarah was glad she was getting along with someone for a change.

"You did agree to come out here." cleared Donnie.

"Only because you thought it would clear my head. If anything, my head's gonna freeze." she laughed. They were at the side of the road, about to cross into a few oak trees that marked the beginning of the open woods. Afterwards, it was a stone's throw away before they could reach the beach.

"You know; things would have been much easier if we sat somewhere and had a meal." said Sarah.

"And where's the fun in sitting around?" quipped Donnie.

"Lots of things, actually." Sarah looked down onto the ground before picking up something up. Donnie looked on curiously, watching as she grabbed what appeared to be a rock in her hand. "You see this?" she then asked him, showing him the dirt-filled rock so graciously on her glove. The boy stared deeply at this 'interesting' find that she had dug up, not amused at all.

"It's… a rock." he deadpanned.

"Correct." confirmed Sarah with a philosophical tone. "But what can you do with a rock that's fun?"

"Throw it away?" Donnie shrugged, not even pretending to play along at this point.

"What else?" Sarah's enthusiasm soon earned a serious groan from Donnie, not wanting to go on any longer.

"Sarah, I can think of many other things to do with a rock, and not many of them are fun."

"Come on, Donnie. You gotta think outside the box." Sarah encouraged the boy, keeping her optimism up to keep the fun going. "Nothing is ever useless, right?" Donnie then grinned, finally having a way to end the pointless talk about rocks and fun.

"Alright, so with that mentality in mind, how about you give the beach a chance, and we'll see what we can do for fun?"

"Touché, Donnie." sighed Sarah, getting the hint that Donnie was being alienated by her attempt to find the brighter side of things. "Alright, you got me there." They continued to walk on, finding themselves onto the dirt path that would lead them to the beach close by.

The winds blew stronger, blowing a cold breeze onto their faces. At that moment, Sarah began to feel another uncomfortable itch on her right hand. She looked to Donnie, who was facing away from her. Relieved, she then snuck her gloved hand down to the side where he wouldn't see it before she took the glove off and began to scratch the blemishes on her palm. She cursed as she tended to the irritation. If she wasn't born with this defect in the first place, she wouldn't have to be so bothered by it, let alone saving herself the humiliation of being seen with it.

All her life, those scars on her hand were a constant pain, just because of how unique it was compared to many people she met. Many people taunted her because of her condition for years now, almost to the point of paranoia. Her instincts forced her to remain quiet about it, even to someone who warmed up to her. She's had a few friends who understood her, but that wouldn't be enough when coming up against those who barely knew her.

Those years of taking shame took a toll in her confidence. She couldn't risk losing face with people because of the hand. She felt like she shouldn't be ashamed of it, now that she was a teen. But it was as the old saying goes…

Old habits die hard.

"You sure you weren't just winging it with the rock?" Suddenly, Donnie spoke, forcing Sarah to quickly stop her scratching and threw her arm back out in a panic. She composed herself just in time before he noticed anything from her actions. By the time, Donnie turned to look at her, she thankfully looked as if nothing was ever wrong with her.

"Nope." she confirmed. "It's a little trick my dad always did whenever I get bored. You just gotta look at the positive side of things." And it always worked. No matter how dim things got, Sarah would always find way to make the most of it, no matter how dull it may sound. At times, it worked; other times, it didn't. But Sarah definitely found it worth building up the optimism to last the day.

If only she would have more time with her father… The thought of not seeing him for years hurt her tremendously.

"Well, how about we go somewhere to eat after the beach, huh?" suggested Donnie. Forgetting her sorrows, she beamed at him with a warm smile, nodding to comply to his request.

"What about your house?" asked Sarah. "What's your family like?" That was when Donnie started expressing a bit of surprise himself. This time, Sarah noticed it straight away, seeing the slightly bewildered look on his face. It caught her by surprise, for sure, that he'd make such a response, wondering if there was a reason why he jumped at her question.

"Oh… well…"

 **BOOM!**

Suddenly, the conversation stopped as the two heard an audible booming noise in the distance.

"What was that?!" In total shock, Sarah stopped and turned to the direction where the blast seemed to have come from. Donnie followed along, gulping as he hoped nothing bad was going to happen on this already gloomy day.

The two made it over the hill beside the trail, looking towards what was the seaside they were heading to. Over in the horizon, there had been a large cloud of sand and dust, thrust above into the sky, followed by sparks of electricity flashing round it. It was an explosion like no other, catching the two by utter surprise.

"Oh no…" They stared into the distance, enthralled by how bizarre the explosion looked. No ordinary explosion had that kind of impact with electric bolts firing around. Whatever it was; it made them very nervous. For Sarah, however, it seemed a lot more troublesome than it looked. Curiosity got the best of her as she wondered what on Earth was happening over at the beach.

There was only so much she could handle before she, triggered by a sense of alarm, decided to do something about it. Without second thought, her curiosity made her spring into action.

All of a sudden, Donnie was about to suggest turning around to get help, when he saw a swift shadow zap right past him, speeding off towards the beach. He then saw Sarah running off towards the danger, leaving him with his mouth dropping down with disbelief.

"W-wait! Where are you going?!" yelled Donnie.

"We better go check it out!" shouted Sarah.

"What?!" When Sarah turned to face Donnie, she gave him a sincere look, filled with concern for whoever might had been there when the explosion happened."

"People could be hurt! We gotta do something!" And without turning back, she then ran on, leaving Donnie still flabbergasted by the action.

"Yeah, but isn't that like… the authorities' job to do?!" shouted Donnie again, but it did nothing as Sarah ran to the danger zone, to whatever insane danger was waiting for her. Supposed he could run off and warn the authorities himself, looking back at the distance between himself and the town. It was a well-heard explosion far behind, so someone should be able to hear it, right? Maybe he could get help faster that way?

Nope. His instincts kicked in. Always help your friends before they do something really stupid, that was his motto.

"Sarah! Wait up!" And he jumped into the fray, following the girl to the beach… and their impending doom…

* * *

By the time the bell rang and class was over, Troy and his friends exited the school, heading off back to their homes to finally call it a day.

They exited the school entrance, all in a group as always. Troy took the lead like any natural born leader would do, while his friends tailed playfully behind, exchanging all sorts of fun talk. Along with the rest of the student body, they all broke out of the building in a large crowd, eager to carry on with their after-school activities.

The group descended down the stairs at the school doors as they planned out where to go next before going home. Troy walked at front of the team, listening to their conversation. Jake tossed around a basketball, spinning it on his right pointer finger before passing it to Noah. The smart one of the bunch caught the ball in his hand, much to his sudden distress at how uncalled for the pass was. Gia and Emma were right behind, talking to each other about some business with the school's upcoming science fair. Once they gathered up at the courtyard, they soon stopped doing what they were doing and grouped around Troy to continue their plans together.

"So, where to, guys?" asked Troy.

"How about the usual? We go to Ernie's and grab a drink?" suggested Gia. "Besides, someone owes us one after that little stunt at the lab last semester." She crossed her arms, shooting a teasing glance at the boy to blame.

"Hey. It was Jake's fault." blamed Noah, causing Jake to raise his hands in stunned disbelief.

"How was it my fault?" exclaimed the boy. "You told me to add the green stuff!"

"The **dark** green one, Jake. You went and put the one that's lighter than what was told." argued Noah, still sour about the accident that shouldn't even warrant a bet in the first place.

"They both looked the same!" insisted Jake, but no one didn't seem to know if he was pretending or was indeed obtuse over the differences.

Either way, a deal was a deal, and Noah begrudgingly accepted the defeat with drinks on him. Troy shook his head, sneaking a small laugh as he went to put a hand on Noah's shoulder.

"You know; as team leader, I can call the bet off if you want." Troy suggested, Gia and Emma rolling their eyes at how caring he was to his friends. Noah smiled, but he refused to let it slide, wanting to treat his friends to a good refreshing drink, regardless of the bet.

"It's fine, guys. I still wanna give us a good time. Drinks are on me today."

"Ah ah." teased Emma. "That doesn't count. You are owing us for a drink at your own accord, which means the drinks on **our** behalf will still go to you. The bet's still up."

"Ugh… whatever." While the group had their fun teasing Noah, they were about to disembark and head off to Ernie's juice bar for another round of fresh, sweet beverages to soothe their daily stress.

But then, as they had the school's front road in their view, they spotted something very peculiar. Right in front of the complex, a black SUV was parked, accompanied by two grown men, waiting at the side of the vehicle. They stood still at front, as if they were waiting for someone here. Both men looked very familiar to the Rangers as they quickly identified who they were.

"Wes?" spoke Gia, recognizing the Red Ranger all too well from a previous mission she had with him.

"And Eric, the Quantum Ranger." added Noah, spotting the other man with the shades next to Wes.

"What are they doing here?" wondered Emma. Troy, on the other hand, had the stinging feeling that something was going on that required their presence at Harwood County. And of all the students who could possibly gain their attention, it was him and his friends; the Megaforce Rangers.

Then, it hit him. That same ominous feeling he felt after he had regarding Sarah. Something was telling him that whatever Wes and Eric, two veteran Rangers, were doing here in their presence had to do with them. As always, he had to find out for sure if his premonitions were true, that they were being called to fulfil some purpose.

"Let's go find out." Troy led the rest of his team towards the older adults. When they arrived, Wes and Eric quickly caught sight of the teenagers, spurred to make contact with them. Troy immediately noticed the sudden urgency in their movement the moment they saw him walking towards them. It was then that the boy knew; there **was** something going on…

"Guys." called Wes without any greetings, adding to the emergency. "You better come with us. Quickly."

"What's wrong?" asked a confused Gia. "Is it another emergency?"

"Tommy needs you five to come with us to meet him immediately. We can't lose any more time." explained Eric, just as urgent enough to try and pull the teens into the car.

"Lose time? For what?" demanded Troy, now pressed to finding out why Wes and Eric were in such a hurry. The two senior Rangers looked at each other, clearly stressed to get things done. Without any more time to lose, they opened the doors, with Wes telling the team to rush right in.

"It's best if Tommy explain it to you in person. Now, get in!" ordered Wes. The others didn't take long to get the message before finally complying to his demands. They all felt a shiver down their spine at the urgency of their presence, realizing that something must have been terribly wrong at the seams.

Just what was it, though? What dangers could there possibly be at this moment of peace?

There was only one way to find out…

* * *

Command Centre,

Harwood County,

Earth,

Solar System,

Andromeda Galaxy,

The base around him rumbled in a series of violent tremors that rocked the cave. His bodiless head felt the full force of the bombardment outside which caused rocks and pebbles to fall to the ground. In front of the wise being, five podiums stood firm, despite the shaking. Around those podiums, a little robot rolled helplessly and frightened by the blasts, constantly screaming for help. Even with the destruction going on, however, the being known as Gosei stood unwavered by the destruction, but not undisturbed by the situation.

"Tensou!" he told the little robot with alarm. "Contact the Rangers!"

"I can't!" responded the robot. "Communication's jammed! I can't reach the Rangers!"

"Keep trying!" With the tremors continuing, Gosei could not do anything but lay onto hope that, somehow, his disciples would arrive to save the day. His thoughts then laid on the other known contacts that he was supposed to meet at a time of growing chaos. By now, they should be here to meet him, to defend him from the evil forces that were attacking the Command Centre.

Where was Tommy Oliver, he wondered.

However, it wasn't the time to think. Suddenly, a much larger explosion occurred, just outside the entrance into the very chamber Gosei and Tensou were shielded in. Dust flew into the room via the doorway, signalling the arrival of the enemy.

"We've been breached! Gosei, help!" cried Tensou, rolling to Gosei for aid. But when he came, there was a sudden blaster bolt from behind. With a torrent of red energy, it shot like a lightning bolt and, to Gosei's horror, blasted through Tensou, bringing the still crying bot to the ground in a violent crash.

"Tensou!" Gosei was forced to watch as the burning husk of his faithful friend laid disabled and totalled beneath him. No sign of life, he knew as much. The body was already far too damaged beyond repair, which could only mean the worst for little Tensou.

Yet, Gosei had no time to mourn. When his green eyes veered towards the entrance, he saw what had destroyed Tensou. From out of the dust cloud came two large figures, emerging to reveal themselves to the mentor. Just as they came in, the bombings stopped, just as he figured. These two were part of the attacking force, beings he feared would never come.

"Ahhhh…" Arkanos mused, his counterpart, Kalach, closely behind him as they approached Gosei. "Gosei, the great prodigy of Zordon…" The mentor couldn't do anything to stop them. True, he had tremendous power stored within him, enough to destroy countless starships and take out armies. Sadly, that power could not be unleashed, lest he would lose not only that very energy, but his own life. He could only buy himself time before the Rangers arrived to use it without destroying him.

It would take a miracle to save him…

The armoured Kalach came up to Gosei, pointing his mighty, large cleaver-shaped blade towards him. With his burning yellow eyes, he gave out a fearful aura that Gosei was able to sense. This monster was a being filled with vile anger, fuelled by his intent to destroy everything in his path, including the Eltarian mentor himself…

"Let's see how mighty you really are…" the alien hissed. But still, Gosei, no matter how trapped or doomed he was, did not cower. There was no surrendering to the likes of these enemies.

There was only hope that the only ones capable of saving the planet, and hopefully, the universe, would arrive.

"You will never win." he declared with bravery in his voice. Kalach chuckled at the seemingly hopeless words. With one swing of his sword back, he then aimed at Gosei, now seeping with the desire to destroy.

"Watch us…" And with one last thrust of his strength, Kalach dropped his blade down with the mightiest of force, slashing right through Gosei as the mentor's sight immediately faded.

Everything went dark…

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**


	4. Author's Announcement

**A/N~ Hey guys. I'm here with a very important annoucement! I have bad news and good news to share:**

 **Bad news is; Hexagon is once again cancelled. This time, however, the cancellation is definitely permanent.**

 **Such a shame, too. What I wanted to do out of this was to make a full-fledged Power Rangers crossover story that unites all the Ranger teams together against a common enemy. I started this project back in 2015 with a previous version of the story, one that featured the Megaforce Rangers fighting their old enemies from Super Megaforce, joining them with fellow Rangers from across space and time. Through this, I hoped to give the Rangers more character development; make them more likeable. The story would also build upon the Power Rangers lore, by taking it to worlds far from Earth and bringing together the entire Power Rangers roster.**

 **Unfortunately, the story was poorly planned, made in a time where I was still trying to make a proper guide to what direction the story would go to. It all ended up being a big mess as I wrote on, so after a while to consider my options, I had to axe that version of the story.**

 **The second, and current version was to rewrite the story, this time, in the perspective of new, original characters that could give me tons of options to pick and send to the table. The story was similar, but it had additions from the recent Power Rangers materials, like Beast Morphers and some of the Shattered Grid as well.**

 **Then, the other stories I've written took up more of my time. Plus, the story, just like the previous version, still didn't have the right planning. I ended up being a victim of writer's block for a really long time with his version, forcing me back from doing it further.**

 **Thus, once again, I have to cancel the story, leaving this without any plans going forward.**

 **But is that the end of my time with power Rangers fanfiction?**

 **Definitely not! While I was trying to build new stories, I had a few newer ideas that would help fill the void that Hexagon shall leave behind. This idea being; a trilogy of individual Power Rangers seasons that focused on smaller conflicts that would eventually build up to a larger one. This way; I can start small with a simple MMPR-esque story, complete with simpler, more fun characters that can drive the story onwards. Inspirations from Hexagon will remain, but everything will change completely.**

 **If I have to be honest, I had much more ideas to work with for this newer trilogy than Hexagon before it. This time, I am slowly taking the more professional route and begin writing up the guides and pipelines before I begin writing up the chapters. That way; I don't have to jumble up things as I go.**

 **With all things considered, I'm quite happy I started Hexagon. It definitely gave me the blueprints to what could make for an epic Power Rangers story. However, just like the actual Hexagon project decades ago, this was too convoluted and complex for me in the meantime. Thus, I hope the newer stories will be much more fun and easier to write, with just about the same amount of ambition as the previous story before it.**

 **I just want to thank all who have taken interest in Hexagon, no matter the iteration. And I certainly hope that you will stay with me as I write down what I need for the next adventure.**

 **Until then, may the Power protect you**


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